A New Beginning
by NCISVU
Summary: Gibbs' four year old niece comes to live with him after his sister dies in a car accident. Jibbs. Story will include all the main characters from the show.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: The team is like a family in this story. Gibbs and Jenny might get together, I haven't really decided yet. There will be cases thrown in here and there [this is NCIS after all!] but the main story line will revolve around the new addition to Gibbs' house and the NCIS family [Gibbs' 4 year old niece]. _

_Thanks for reading!_

* * *

><p><strong>A New Beginning<strong>

The plane landed at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport shortly after 3:00 on Thursday afternoon. Gibbs stopped at Enterprise and picked up his rental car then made the 2 hour trek to the East Texas Medical Center in Tyler, Texas. It was just approaching 6:00 when he walked through the doors to the emergency room.

* * *

><p>"Why do you think he never mentioned her?" Tony asked as he reclined in his chair behind his desk.<p>

"This is Gibbs we're talking about," Ziva scoffed.

"He's never exactly been open with us about his past," Tim added.

"The reason Special Agent Gibbs never told you he had a sister was because they were estranged," Director Shepard said as she rounded the corner into the bullpen.

"How do you know this Director?" Tony asked suspiciously.

"You forget Agent DiNozzo," Jenny said, "Gibbs and I used to be partners."

"Right," Tony said.

Director Shepard smiled. "Now, if you're all through gossiping maybe we can get back to the case?"

* * *

><p>"Please sign in and we'll see you as soon as we can Sir," the flustered emergency room receptionist ordered Gibbs. Her accent was thick, reminding Gibbs he was in Texas.<p>

Gibbs looked at the sign–in clipboard then back at the receptionist. "I'm not checking in," he informed her, "I'm here to see Grace Bryant."

The receptionist's expression turned from flustered to somber as she nodded. "Let me call the doctor for you Sir."

Gibbs nodded and took a seat in the busy waiting area until a doctor appeared and called him over.

"Are you family?" the doctor asked.

Gibbs nodded, "Grace is my niece, Linda was my sister."

"Your sister and her husband, Robert, weren't wearing their seatbelts when their car crashed into the tree last night," the doctor informed Gibbs. "They were both thrown from the car. Linda was pronounced on scene, Robert was pronounced here at the hospital." The doctor flipped open the chart he was holding and glanced at it. "Grace was buckled at the time of the crash; she suffered a minor concussion and a few bumps and bruises but she'll be fine."

"When will she be released?"

"She's been under observation for," the doctor glanced at his watch, "close enough to the recommended 24 hours. Let me have one more look at her and I can go ahead and release her. She's in room 104," the doctor pointed down a short hallway. "I'll be right there."

"Doc?" Gibbs called. He waited for the doctor to face him once again. "Was there alcohol involved?"

"Robert was driving, his BAC was .09." Gibbs nodded as the doctor walked away.

Gibbs watched his four year old niece through the narrow window in the door before entering. He had just seen her a month earlier when Linda brought her to Pennsylvania to visit with her Grandpa. Grace was his only niece and had always held a special place in his heart.

"Hi Gracie." Gibbs walked over to her bed and gently kissed the top of her head.

"Uncle LJ!" Grace's voice was shaky, as she wrapped her small arms around Gibbs' neck, refusing to let go. "Everybody leaved me here all alone."

"It's ok Sweet Pea," Gibbs said. He lifted Grace into his arms and let her cuddle into him.

The doctor entered the room almost right behind Gibbs. "Ok Grace, I'm gonna take one last look at you and then you can go."

"No more needles," Grace said as Gibbs laid her back in bed.

The doctor smiled at her, "no more needles," he promised. The doctor recorded Grace's vital signs and checked her over a final time before signing her discharge papers. He pulled her clothes out of a cabinet and handed them to Gibbs. "Give her children's Tylenol for the pain and if she starts behaving strange make sure you take her to the hospital right away," he instructed. He shook Gibbs' hand and said goodbye to Grace before moving on to his next patient.

"How're you doing Sweet Pea?" Gibbs lifted Grace off the bed and stood her on the floor in front of him. He untied the small hospital gown she was wearing.

"Are we going to see Mommy now?" Grace asked. She held onto Gibbs' shoulder tightly while she put her legs, one at a time, into the jeans he was holding out in front of her.

Gibbs pulled Grace's t-shirt over her head and helped her guide her arms into the sleeves before sitting her back on the bed. "Gracie, Mommy went to live Jesus," he told her.

"But Mommy's supposed to live with me," Grace said, her lower lip starting to quiver.

"I know Sweet Pea." Gibbs picked up one of Grace's shoes, untied it and slipped it on her foot. "You're going to come live with me now," he said as he slipped her other shoe on.

"Until Mommy comes home?" Grace asked.

Gibbs brushed her loosely curled, strawberry blond hair out of her face. "Gracie, Honey, after people go live with Jesus, they can't come home anymore."

"Uncle LJ, did Mommy die?"

"Yes," Gibbs said gently, "Mommy died."

"Daddy too?"

Gibbs nodded his head.

"You're gonna be my Daddy now?" Grace asked.

"Yes," Gibbs said smiling at her.

Once Grace was through questioning Gibbs he helped her off the bed. She grabbed his hand, her small hand only able to wrap around two of his fingers, and they walked out to the rental car.

* * *

><p>"Whadda ya got Abs?" Tony asked in typical Gibbs fashion. He strolled into the lab and set a Caf-Pow down in front of her then peered over her shoulder at the computer.<p>

"Is he back yet? Is Gibbs here? Did he bring his niece?" Abby quickly questioned.

"I don't think he's back yet Abs," McGee answered. "We haven't heard from him, besides, he just left this morning, you gotta give him some time to..."

"Wait a minute!" Tony cut McGee off. "How'd you know about his niece?"

"She has always been his favorite Tony," Ziva said.

Abby smiled, pleased with her place in Gibbs' heart. "I found a picture of her once," she said.

"You've seen her?" Tony asked, beginning to get excited. "What's she like? How old is she? What did Gibbs tell you about her?"

"Tony!" Ziva cut him off. Tony and Ziva glared playfully at each other for a moment while McGee rolled his eyes. "Give Abby time to answer," Ziva smiled as they all turned their attention back to the Goth forensic scientist.

"Her name is Grace and she's the cutest thing," Abby squealed. "The picture I saw was from her 3rd birthday party. She's probably 4 by now. When you look at her smile you can't help but smile back. She was standing next to a goat that she got for her birthday. She lives in Texas, probably on a farm. It's so cool that they got her a goat; every kid should have a pet. I wish my parents got me a goat when I was little. I just hope they know how to take care of a goat because you really shouldn't get a pet unless you know how to…"

"Abs!" Tony cut her off. "The girl, what did Gibbs say about her? What's she like?"

"Oh yah, sorry," Abby said. "Gibbs really didn't say much. You know how he is. But I don't think she's had the best life. I know Gibbs fought for custody of her because he asked me to be a character witness and write a thing for him for court. The judge didn't want to take her away from her biological parents though."

Director Shepard was standing in the doorway listening, unbeknownst to Abby, Tony, Ziva, or Tim. She had no idea Gibbs had fought for custody of his niece. She made a mental note to look into that as she cleared her throat, making her presence known.

Tony spun around. "Director, we were just uh… how long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough," Jenny answered. "I don't suppose you've managed to get any work done on the case?"

"Petty Officer Campbell is scheduled to return to base tomorrow at 0700," McGee said. "We'll be waiting there to pick him up. We have security camera footage of him sneaking behind the counter at the pawn shop and taking the jewelry out of the case."

"What makes you so sure he'll show up on base?" Jenny asked.

"We are fairly certain this is not the first time he has used this method," Ziva answered.

"As long as he doesn't suspect we're onto him, he'll continue on as normal," Tony said, finishing Ziva's thought.

Jenny nodded her head, pleased with the progress they had made on the case. "It's late. Go home. Get some rest." She turned and headed for the elevator when she heard Abby call her name.

"Have you heard from Gibbs?"

"He'll be back tomorrow," Jenny answered. "His plane lands around 1430. He'll have his niece with him but that's really all I know. Good night." She smiled at the group then continued to the elevator and hit the button for the bottom level of the building. If anyone knew anything about Grace, she figured it would be Ducky.

"Well hello Director," Ducky greeted, "what brings you down here at this hour?" He turned in his desk chair to face Jenny.

"Jethro," she answered.

"Last I heard he was still in Texas," Ducky answered. "I don't expect him back for another couple days."

"He's flying in tomorrow afternoon," Jenny said. She sat down on the edge of Ducky's desk. "I was just wondering if you knew anything about his niece," she asked, doing her best to sound nonchalant.

"Gracie?" Ducky said. "Her mother, Gibbs' sister won't speak to Jethro anymore. Linda married an alcoholic. He's an angry drunk I'm afraid. He doesn't hesitate to use his fists on her. Gibbs stepped in and brought Linda home to Stillwater but she went right back to the man. After that Linda cut him off."

"What about Grace?" Jenny asked. "Was she abused?"

"Jethro had that same worry," Ducky answered. "Shortly after she was born he petitioned the court for custody of the girl but they wouldn't revoke the parental rights at that point. CPS stops by and checks in on her but I know Gibbs was still worried."

"Does he ever get to see her?"

"Only when Linda brings her to Stillwater to see her Grandfather. Jackson calls Jethro and tells him when they're coming. Jethro will drive up and take Gracie for the day. Her mother knows. She didn't seem to have a problem with it but she still wouldn't speak to Jethro."

"Thanks Ducky." Jenny stood to leave.

"Is Jethro bringing Grace home with him?" Ducky asked before Jenny disappeared.

"I'm fairly certain Linda left him custody of her," Jenny answered.

* * *

><p>Gibbs held Grace in one arm and flung his Marine Corp knapsack over his opposite shoulder. He made his way through the Dulles International Airport terminal and out to the parking lot. He buckled Grace into the booster seat he'd put in the backseat before he left for Texas and they were off. They reached the Navy Yard shortly before 4:00.<p>

"Wow," Grace said looking up at NCIS. "Is this where you live?"

Gibbs smiled. He spent enough time there that sometimes it felt like it. "No Cutie, this is where I work." Gibbs took Grace's hand as they crossed the street.

"I sure hope you've earned that pizza DiNozzo," Gibbs said as he walked into the squad room, Grace in tow.

"Boss!" Tony dropped the slice back into the box and was on his feet within seconds. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"That's obvious," Gibbs said. "How's the case?"

"We have security camera footage of Campbell stealing the jewelry Boss," McGee answered quickly.

"We picked him up at 0700 today and I had his confession by 1100 hours," Ziva smiled proudly.

"He's on his way to booking right now Boss," Tony added.

"Well whadda you know DiNozzo, looks like you earned that pizza after all," Gibbs said.

"Thank you Boss." Tony sat back down in his chair and took the half eaten piece out of the box.

"Gibbs!" Abby cheered as she came around the corner with a gift in her hand. "You're back! Is she here? Did you bring her with you?"

"Guys," Gibbs said. He nudged Grace, who had been hiding behind his leg, around to his side. "This is Grace. Gracie, that's Tony, Ziva, Tim, and Abby," Gibbs said pointing at each member of his team.

"Hi Grace! I got you something." Abby said. She knelt down in front of the girl but Grace disappeared behind Gibbs' leg once again.

"She's shy Abs," Gibbs said.

"That's ok," Abby said, standing to her feet. She handed Gibbs the gift she'd gotten for Grace.

Gibbs inspected it. "Thanks Abs. What is it?"

"It's a pillow pet," Abby said grabbing the gift back. "You just unvelcro it here and it turns into a pillow. Velcro it back up and it's a pet dog." Abby was obviously very proud of her gift. "I figured it would come in handy since you never sleep Gibbs. Nobody can keep up with your schedule. Whenever she's tired, wherever she's at, she'll have a pillow."

"That's actually a good idea," Gibbs admitted. He leaned down and picked Grace up. Her grip was firm on his neck as she hid her face from the group. Gibbs looked up to see Jenny standing on the catwalk in front of MTAC watching them. She started down the stairs once Gibbs saw her.

"Hi Jen," Gibbs said when she reached the bullpen.

"Jethro," Jenny said. She glanced behind Gibbs' back catching Grace's eye causing Grace to turn her head in the opposite direction.

"Linda's funeral is in Stillwater on Monday," Gibbs said. "I'm gonna take Gracie up and stay with Dad on Sunday, we'll be back Monday evening."

"Take all the time you need," Jenny offered.

"Mind if we come over tomorrow Boss?" Tony asked around a mouthful of pizza. "You know? Hang out before you leave again."

"My door's always open DiNozzo. You know that."

"Yay!" Abby cheered. "Party at Gibbs' tomorrow!"

"Abs," Gibbs warned.

"Oh don't worry Gibbs. It'll be fun."

"You guys closed the case," Gibbs said. "Go home, relax. You've earned it."

"So nice to meet you Grace," Ziva said to the back of the girls head. She smiled at Gibbs before moving over to Tony's desk.

"Hey Grace, you want a piece of pizza?" Tony offered. Grace shook her head. Tony turned around just in time to see Ziva taking a bite out of a piece of pizza. "Hey!" he hurried back to his desk.

"What?" Ziva asked. "You can share with Grace but not with me?"

"Grace isn't annoying," Tony said.

Ziva made a face at Tony before Gibbs put an end to their spat. Tony put his backpack over his shoulder, grabbed his box of pizza and headed for the elevators. Ziva grabbed her things and chased after him, sliding through the elevator doors just before they closed.

"I'll see you tomorrow Boss," Tim said. He shut down his computer before he too headed for the elevator.

"Abs, I could use your help with something," Gibbs said.

"Anything Gibbs!"

"You know anything about clothes?"

Abby let out a laugh. "Of course I do Gibbs! You need help picking out a new wardrobe?"

"Not me," Gibbs said. He rubbed Grace's back. "This is all she's got. I had to stop at Sears on our way out of town because her shirt had blood on it from the accident. It took me an hour to pick out one shirt."

Abby controlled the urge to giggle at the thought of Gibbs walking around Sears for an hour searching for a single shirt. "Don't worry about a thing Gibbs! I know just the place to go."

"Thanks Abs." Gibbs kissed Abby's cheek as he walked by her on his way to the elevator.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Gibbs pulled up in front of his house and freed Grace from her booster seat. He grabbed his knapsack out of the trunk and walked with her to the front door.

"Welcome home Sweet Pea," he said as he pushed the door open.

After he showed her around the house he inspected the contents of his refrigerator. There wasn't much to choose from, but he decided on scrambled eggs and pancakes. He let Grace stir the pancake batter while he worked on the eggs. He helped Grace cook her own pancake, then sat her down to eat while he finished cooking. He had just taken the last pancake out of the pan when he heard a small thud. He turned around to see Grace's milk tipped over and spreading out across the table.

"Uh-oh," he said playfully.

Grace's body became rigid and she didn't take her eyes off Gibbs. Gibbs grabbed the kitchen hand towel and quickly mopped up the mess before it reached the edge of the table.

"There we go," he said. He reached down to tousle her hair but Grace ducked and put her hands up in defense. Gibbs threw the milky towel into the sink before turning his attention to her. "It's ok Gracie," he said softly. He picked her shaking body up and hugged her.

"I didn't mean to spill the milk Uncle LJ," Grace's voice was shaky and apologetic.

"I know Sweet Pea." Gibbs rubbed her back until her shaking slowed. This confirmed his suspicions that his niece had not been treated right. The growing anger was only subdued by the fact that Robert was dead and Gibbs could now protect Grace from the evil in the world. "It's ok. It's all cleaned up now." Gibbs kissed Grace's temple before sitting her back in her chair. He refilled her milk before getting a plate for himself.

* * *

><p>Jenny pulled up in front of Gibbs house shortly before midnight. She could see the dim glow of the basement light and knew Gibbs was still awake. She got out of her car and made her way to the door. She had been having a conversation with Gibbs in her head all day, now it was time to have it in person.<p>

Gibbs heard the sound of high heels coming down his basement steps and knew it was Jenny without even looking up from his project. "What's up Jen?" he asked quietly after blowing the sawdust off the area he was sanding.

"I just came to see how you were doing," Jenny said, running her hand along the smooth surface of the boats outer shell.

"Checking up on me?" Gibbs put his sanding block and sandpaper down and sat on the sawhorse behind him. Jenny sat down next to him and could see Grace sleeping on Gibbs' military green sleeping mat under the boat.

"Why is she sleeping down here?" Jenny asked, lowering her voice so she didn't wake the girl.

Gibbs shrugged his shoulders. "I put her to bed upstairs but she wandered down here. I think the rhythm of the sanding soothes her."

"Or she doesn't want to be alone," Jenny suggested. "It's traumatizing to lose both your parents so suddenly."

Gibbs looked at Grace still sound asleep, dressed in one of his old NIS shirts. "Abby's going to bring over some clothes tomorrow," he said. "I didn't want to go to her house in Tyler; I figured she could get a fresh start here."

"You have a wonderful family of agents," Jenny said. "You know the old saying, it takes a village to raise a child? It's true."

Gibbs sat quietly for a moment, pondering Grace's life in Tyler, TX with an abusive father and a somewhat helpless mother. He quickly shook off the thoughts and turned his attention back to the director. "Something I can help you with Director?" he asked, trying to get to the point of her visit.

"Jethro, I just," Jenny hesitated causing Gibbs to look at her. "I just wanted to make sure you're ok. I mean you lost your sister and now you have a five year child to look after. That's a lot of change in a short period of time."

"Four," Gibbs said. Jenny looked at him with questioning eyes. "She's only four years old," he corrected.

"Jethro," Jenny sighed. She was reminded of how difficult it could be to carry on a conversation with Gibbs.

"I'm fine Jen, really," Gibbs said. "It'll be kind of nice to have a little girl running around the house again." Images of Kelly flashed through his mind putting a smile on his face.

Gibbs got up from the sawhorse and retrieved Jenny's coat. "It's late, go home, get some sleep." He helped her with her jacket. "Good night Jen."

"Good night Jethro." Jenny sighed as she climbed the stairs. The conversation hadn't exactly gone how she'd planned. She silently cursed Gibbs for being so difficult to talk to.

* * *

><p>Gibbs was startled out of his sleep early Saturday morning. He raced to Grace's bedside and scooped the crying child into his arms.<p>

"I want Mommy!" she cried into Gibbs t-shirt.

"I know Sweet Pea," Gibbs said softly. He ran his fingers through her hair, trying to soothe her. Grace started to calm down as he gently rocked her. "Did you have a nightmare?" he asked.

Grace held tightly to Gibbs t-shirt with her small fist. "Mommy crashed into the window. I called her but she didn't talk to me."

Gibbs had seen firsthand what it looked like when a human body was propelled through the windshield of a car. He couldn't imagine how traumatizing that would be for a four year old. He kissed her forehead and held her tightly as her crying stopped and her eyelids drooped shut. When he was sure she was asleep he tucked her back into bed and thumbed away the moisture from her cheeks. With a final kiss he returned to his own bed to slip back into unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>Abby was the first one over to Gibbs' house on Saturday afternoon. She retrieved several shopping bags from her car and let herself in the front door. She found Grace snuggled in Gibbs' lap listening to the story he was reading. She set the bags down on the floor and sat on the other side of Gibbs so she could hear the story as well.<p>

"Hiya Abs," Gibbs said when he was done reading.

"Aw! That is one of my favorite books Gibbs!"

"_If You Give a Mouse a Cookie_ is your favorite book?" Gibbs asked in a tone indicating he didn't believe her.

"It's so cute! No matter what you give the little mouse he always wants something else. He's never satisfied." Gibbs smiled at Abby. "So, anyways," Abby continued, "I found a lot of adorable outfits for Grace!" She got her shopping bags and began pulling out tops and bottoms in many different colors. She laid out shorts and pants, matching them to short sleeves, tank tops and long sleeves. Not to Gibbs' surprise she had picked out socks to match many of the outfits along with an assortment of hair ties and hats.

"Wow Abs," Gibbs said looking at the couch full of clothing. "How much did all this set me back?"

"Only $52.29," Abby said proudly. Gibbs gave her a look of disbelief. "There's this great store near Coral Hills. They sell gently used kids clothes. At this age kids outgrow stuff really fast so they always have a lot of great stuff in there and everything is really cheap! Plus it doesn't hurt that I went to college with the lady who owns it," Abby smiled. "I helped her pass chemistry so she always gives me a really good discount."

"Thanks Abby," Gibbs said, admiring Grace's new wardrobe. "Can you say thank you Gracie?" Gibbs asked. Grace looked up to Gibbs who smiled at her.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

"Can you go give her a hug?" Gibbs asked. At that Grace turned and buried her head in Gibbs' chest. Gibbs hugged her and kissed the top of her head. "We'll work on that."

Abby helped Gibbs take the clothing up to Grace's room and pick an outfit to change her into. She commented on how masculine and dull the room was and offered to make it a little more welcoming while Gibbs and Grace were in Stillwater for Linda's funeral. Gibbs didn't object but told her she didn't have to go to any trouble. By the time they got back downstairs the others were starting to arrive with gifts of their own. Grace was under the impression it was her birthday after seeing all the presents she had to open.

To no one's surprise Tony gave Grace an assortment of DVDs along with a DVD player, knowing Gibbs wouldn't have anything so hi-tech. Abby gave Grace several children's books, many of them Dr. Seuss, along with a collection of CDs and her very own CD player, black of course, decorated with a skull and crossbones that Abby designed herself. Ziva gave Grace a large assortment of art supplies and a patriotic quilt. Tim gave her a Leapster with a variety of games to help her learn the alphabet along with how to read and some math and other skills.

"You trying to turn her into a McGeek?" Tony asked after Grace had opened Tim's present.

"Are you trying to turn her into a movie buff?" Tim shot back.

"Guys! Guys, they're all very nice gifts. You really didn't have to bring anything," Gibbs said.

"She's part of the family now Boss," Tony said.

"She's like our little sister," Tim added.

"We wanted to make her feel at home here," Ziva said. "Leaving your home is not always so easy."

Abby put her arm around Ziva. They all knew the struggles Ziva had gone through to get where she was.

Gibbs fired up the grill with Grace in one arm while the others sat on the patio and talked. Ducky and Jimmy arrived shortly after everyone had moved outside.

"Is this the little tike?" Ducky asked.

Gibbs closed the lid on the grill to let the coals heat up and turned around so Ducky could meet Grace. "Can you say hi to Ducky?" Gibbs asked. Grace, who was chewing on one hand, waved to Ducky with the other.

"I'm very pleased to meet you Grace," Ducky said. Grace let him gently shake her free hand.

"Don't chew on your fingers Sweet Pea," Gibbs instructed. "It'll make your teeth crooked." Grace took her hand out of her mouth and wiped it on Gibbs shirt. "I'm going to put you down now so I can cook dinner." Gibbs stood Grace next to him and kissed the top of her head before checking the coals again. Grace held firmly to Gibbs' pant leg while she carefully watching the others. "Why don't you go sit with Abby?" Gibbs suggested.

"Come on Grace!" Abby encouraged. "I don't bite."

Gibbs smiled at Grace and gave her a gentle nudge in Abby's direction. Grace slowly made her way over to Abby and let Abby pull her into her lap.

"Do you like it here?" Abby asked Grace.

Grace shrugged her shoulders and looked at Tony and Tim who were sitting on either side of Abby. "I, I like it living with Uncle LJ," Grace managed to spit out.

"Uncle LJ's a pretty cool guy, huh?" Abby asked.

Grace smiled and nodded.

"Is everything taken care of in Texas, Jethro?" Ducky asked.

"I don't know Duck," Gibbs answered. "I got my girl and left. I'll leave the rest up to somebody else."

"Didn't she live on a farm down there?" Ducky continued.

"Rob and Linda had a house with a few acres in east Tyler. They were trying to run a pig farm. I don't know how successful they were."

"Ah yes, I thought I remembered something about a goat," Ducky said. Tony, Ziva, and Tim all stared at Abby remembering the photograph she'd told them about.

"They got Gracie a goat for her 3rd birthday," Gibbs said, "but Rob turned around and sold it when he ran out of beer money."

"Aw! That's so sad," Abby said.

"I had a goat," Grace said, not quite able to follow the conversation. "His name was Herman, but Daddy said he runned away." Abby frowned and gave Grace a hug.

"Herman the goat," Gibbs said.

"Uncle LJ's gonna be my daddy now," Grace said proudly. She climbed off of Abby's lap and walked over and tugged on Gibbs' pant leg. "Uncle LJ? I can call you Daddy now?" she asked.

"You sure can," Gibbs said. He lifted Grace up in the air and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Can you go wash your hands for me so we can eat?"

"Ok," Grace said.

"Can I come too?" Abby asked.

"Your hands are dirty?" Grace asked. Abby nodded her head and showed Grace her hands. "Oh," Grace said, "they look berry dirty. I will show you where the bathroom is. Just come with me." Grace led Abby into the house while the others chuckled.

By the time the girls got back Gibbs had the food off the grill and everyone was milling around the kitchen making a plate.

"Did you get 'em washed?" Gibbs asked Grace. Grace nodded her head. "Let me smell." Gibbs leaned down and smelled her hands. "Good job!"

"You have to smell Abby's hands too Daddy," Grace said. Gibbs smiled and obeyed. "Did Abby do a good job too? Cuz I helped her."

"You both did a very good job," Gibbs praised.

After everyone filled their plates they sat out on the back patio and ate. It was mid-spring in DC and the temperature was finally warming up enough it was enjoyable to be outside. After they were done eating Tony persuaded Grace to kick the soccer ball around with him, Tim, and Jimmy while the others watched.

"She's adorable Gibbs," Ziva said.

"Indeed," Ducky added.

Gibbs smiled and watched, enjoying the fact that Grace was playing and having a good time. Her laughter was music to his ears. As the sun disappeared below the horizon the breeze started to pick up and the cold air chased everyone inside. Ducky decided it was time for him to return home, taking Palmer with him since they had carpooled. Gibbs got up and chased Grace around the backyard until he caught her then picked her up and started tickling her.

"No, Daddy, stop, please," Grace pleaded around her laughs. Gibbs was surprised at how easily Grace transitioned to calling him dad. He knew Robert was never a father to her and was pleased to fill that void in her life. He thought back on his sister's death with sadness but also saw it as a saving grace for the young child now in his care.

"Can we watch a movie now Daddy?" Grace asked.

"You'll have to go ask Tony to hook up that DVD thing for you," Gibbs told her as he put her down.

Grace hopped over to Tony who was more than happy to hook up her new DVD player. Gibbs and Ziva cleaned up the leftover dinner mess and Abby changed Grace into her pajamas while Tony and Tim hooked up the DVD player. Afterwards they all sat down and watched _Lilo and Stitch_.

By the end of the movie Grace was sound asleep cuddled up next to Tony on the floor. She grumbled a little when Gibbs picked her up to take her to bed but then burrowed into his chest and went right back to sleep. After he tucked Grace in, Gibbs went downstairs to see his guests off before continuing on to the basement to work on his boat.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: I really went back and forth on the issue of Grace calling Gibbs dad but I went ahead and did it. I figured because of her young age and since her own father wasn't much of a dad to her that it would be ok.<em>


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read and review my story! I really appreciate it =)_

* * *

><p>Gibbs and Grace were on the road by 8:00 the following morning, putting them in Stillwater close to noon. Gibbs drove straight to his dad's store when they got into town.<p>

"Grandpa!" Grace cried as soon as they walked in the door. She raced over to Jackson and gave him a big hug.

"And how is little Miss Grace doing?" Jackson asked.

"Guess what Grandpa!" Grace said. "I living with Uncle LJ and he's my daddy now. Right?" Grace looked up at Gibbs.

"That right Sweet Pea," Gibbs said.

"I gonna go help Grandpa in the store now," Grace said as she trotted off.

"I'm glad you came Leroy," Jackson said giving his son a hug.

"How are you holding up Dad?" Gibbs asked.

"I've been better," Jackson confessed. "Did you find out what happened?"

Gibbs pulled up a chair so his dad could sit down. "Rob was driving drunk, went off the road, hit a tree. Grace was the only one wearing a seatbelt."

"Damn it! I wish your sister wasn't so stubborn!"

"This wasn't your fault Dad." Gibbs squeezed his father's shoulder. "We did everything we could to help her but Linda made her own decisions."

"I know," Jackson said. "It just didn't have to be like this."

"I know Dad. I know."

The two men were quiet for a moment before Jackson broke the silence. "Anyways, the house is open if you two want to head over there," Jackson said. "I wasn't sure if you'd come by here or go by there first."

"Ah, I think we'll hang out here with you. Gracie's straightening up shelves, hopefully not making more work for…"

"She's actually very good at straightening the shelves," Jackson interrupted.

_That's because Robert demanded perfection,_ Gibbs thought. He'd already decided he wasn't going to share his suspicions of Grace's abuse. Robert was gone and Grace was safe, he didn't want to put any extra stress on his dad. "What do you need me to do Dad? You got stuff that needs to be marked? Sweep up the floors?"

"I just finished pricing everything yesterday," Jackson said, "but the floors haven't seen a broom in awhile."

* * *

><p>The little church in Stillwater was full of mourners late Monday morning. The Gibbs family was well known in the small town and Linda's funeral was well attended. Gibbs and his father both looked sharp in their black suits, the only difference between them being Gibbs's black necktie and Jackson's grey one. Grace's black dress was fairly plain, with a few frills around the bottom. She sat on Gibbs' lap, playing with his fingers during the service. Despite Gibbs' best efforts to explain to her what was going on she still had a difficult time understanding. After the service at the church, close friends and family went to the graveside for a brief service and to say their final goodbyes.<p>

"I'm sorry Linda," Gibbs said as he placed a red rose on top of her casket. He looked down at Grace, holding firmly to his pant leg. "Can you say goodbye to Momma?"

"Bye bye Mommy," Grace said waving at the casket. Gibbs lifted her up so she could put her rose on her mother's casket then held her on his side and kissed her cheek. After Jackson said his goodbyes they headed back to the church for lunch.

* * *

><p>"Why does he do that Ducky?" Jenny asked.<p>

"Do what my Dear?" Ducky asked as he tucked his patient away for the night.

"Close himself off? Is it that hard to have a conversation with me?" Jenny was sitting in Ducky's chair, reeling from the conversation she'd had with Gibbs in his basement.

"Jethro still loves you," Ducky confessed, slightly uncomfortable at the position he'd found himself. He leaned back against his desk facing the director.

"Well if he does he sure doesn't show it!" Jenny argued.

"Jethro is a man who loves very deeply," Ducky said, "but his loyalty also comes with a price."

"Which is?" Jenny questioned, somewhat calmer now.

"He shuts himself off to others in an attempt to protect himself from getting hurt. When one loves so powerfully and goes on to lose that love it stings far worse than someone like, well, take Anthony. He has a new girlfriend every week. He's able to let go of love and move on far easier than someone like Jethro."

"So what do I do Ducky?"

"Well, show him you're not going anywhere. Find a way to prove to him that you'll be there. How you do that is up to you my Dear," Ducky said as he stood.

"Thank you Ducky," Jenny said, obviously deep in thought.

"No problem," Ducky said as he exchanged his lab coat for his overcoat. "Always glad to help."

* * *

><p>Gibbs didn't even get in the building Tuesday morning before his cell phone rang notifying him of a case. Grace was still half asleep on his shoulder as he strolled through the bullpen. "Grab your gear!" he ordered. "Gotta drop Gracie off at Abby's, I'll meet you in the truck."<p>

While Tony, Ziva, and Tim sprang into action Gibbs took the elevator down to the lab. "Abs, I need a favor," he said.

"I would be honored to watch Grace!" Abby exclaimed without even waiting for Gibbs to ask.

"I gotta go to work now Sweet Pea," Gibbs told Grace. "You're gonna stay here with Abby."

"No! I want to come with you!" Grace pleaded. She tightened her grip around his neck. "I promise I won't get in trouble."

"I know you won't Cutie, but you have to stay here this time. I'll be back soon."

"But I will miss you Daddy." Grace's lower lip started to quiver.

Abby punched a few keys on her keyboard. "Come here Grace," Abby took Grace from Gibbs. "Look," she said pointing to a picture of Gibbs on the monitors. "Whenever you start to miss Daddy you can see him right up there."

Grace sniffed back a few tears as she looked at the monitor.

"Goodbye Gracie," Gibbs said kissing her forehead. "Thanks Abs!" he called as he hurried back to the elevator.

"I'm going to give you a very special job today Grace," Abby said. She put her down and went and got Bert. "This is Bert! Do you think you could take really good care of him for me?" Grace took Bert from Abby and smiled. "Do you know what kind of animal Bert is?"

Grace inspected the creature closely. "Bert is a rhinoceros, wait! I mean a hippopotamus."

"Very good Grace! You are one smart cookie!"

"I like cookies," Grace said.

Abby laughed. "I bet you do."

* * *

><p>Gibbs and his team headed to Bethesda Naval Hospital to investigate the suspicious death of Petty Officer Second Class Benjamin Foster. He had been admitted three days prior for an emergency appendectomy and after a successful surgery he turned up dead early Tuesday morning. Tim took crime scene photos while Tony gathered evidence and Ziva took witness statements. After Ducky and Palmer collected the body and the team had finished their duties they headed back to NCIS headquarters.<p>

When they returned to the Navy Yard Gibbs sent Tony and Ziva to Manassas to interview Foster's friends and neighbors and search his house while Tim dug into his past and pulled up all the records the Navy kept on him. Gibbs headed down to the lab to check on Abby and Grace.

"Daddy!" Grace yelled as she plowed into Gibbs' legs.

Abby smiled and took the Caf-Pow Gibbs was holding.

"Hi Gracie!" Gibbs said enthusiastically. He picked her up and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Did you have fun with Abby?"

"Uh-huh, and I helped her too," Grace said proudly. "I taked care of Bert all morning."

"I'm happy to hear that," Gibbs said. "Abby could use a little help down here." Gibbs smiled and winked at Abby.

"The evidence just came in from Bethesda Gibbs," Abby said. "I'll get it in the computer and I should have something for you soon."

"Thanks Abs." Gibbs leaned in and kissed her cheek in appreciation.

Abby smiled as she watched Gibbs and Grace walk out of her lab. Gibbs went back through the bullpen and grabbed Grace's jacket before going back to the elevator to leave.

"Can I push the button? Please?" Grace begged.

"Ok, only once," Gibbs said. He was surprised to find Jenny in the elevator when the doors opened.

"Director," he smiled at her, "getting off?"

"No," Jenny answered, "actually I'm headed out to grab a quick bite to eat."

"We were just going to lunch ourselves," Gibbs said. "Mind if we join you?"

"I'd like that," Jenny said twirling her finger through the back of her hair. She was thrilled at the opportunity to spend time with Gibbs and Grace.

Gibbs opened the passenger door of his car for Jenny to get in before buckling Grace into her booster seat in the back. They decided to go to the Chinese restaurant they usually ordered take-out from. Gibbs and Jenny made small talk on their way to the restaurant. Once they got there and were seated Gibbs ordered everyone's food. Jenny normally wouldn't let a man order for her but Gibbs was different, he knew what she liked and, even though she wouldn't admit it to him, she didn't mind letting him take control of certain situations.

"How's she settling in?" Jenny asked while they waited for their food.

Gibbs looked over at Grace who was coloring away on her children's menu. "She seems to be doing ok. We're having a little trouble with nightmares but nothing I can't handle."

Jenny smiled. "How was the funeral?"

"It was a nice service," Gibbs answered. "A lot of people showed up, the church provided a nice lunch, it was a nice day."

"Has she said anything about her M-O-M?" Jenny spelled, carefully avoiding saying the word in front of Grace.

Gibbs ran his hand down the side of Grace's face, letting his fingers run through her hair. Grace looked up and smiled at him. "Linda wasn't really… she had some problems," Gibbs said. "The guy she married was an angry drunk and he took it out on her. She had some emotional problems after going through that for so many years and when Gracie came along, you know, she did the best she could but emotionally I don't think Linda was there very much."

"She wouldn't leave him?" Jenny asked cautiously. She knew better than to pry too much with Gibbs.

Gibbs shook his head. "I went to Texas and got her when I got back from Desert Storm, took her back to Stillwater but she didn't stay long before going back. Dad and I tried everything we could but in the end she made her own decision."

"I'm sorry Jethro," Jenny said. She reached over and gently squeezed his hand. He let his thumb wander over her knuckles briefly before pulling away and taking a drink of his water.

"You've just gotta move on. What's done is done and now I've got Gracie and we're just going to move forward. Right Sweet Pea?"

"Right!" Grace said, not looking up from her coloring.

Jenny looked adoringly at Grace. "She's a cutie Jethro."

Gibbs smiled. "She sure is. She's my precious little angel."

"Daddy, we gonna eat soon?" Grace asked. "I'm hungry."

"I think I see our food coming right now," Gibbs answered.

The waiter served their food and refilled their drinks before disappearing to let them eat. Jenny took some of the vegetables off Gibbs plate, while Gibbs took her egg roll. Once they were done trading food they started eating.

"Jethro," Jenny said. She skillfully scooped up some of her cashew chicken with her chopsticks. "Do you think it could ever, you know, work between us again?" her voice trailed off as her nerves kicked in.

Gibbs let out an uneasy laugh. "Jen, I've kind of got a lot going on. Any particular reason you're bringing this up right now?"

Jenny responded with regained confidence. "I'd planned on having this conversation days ago but you were called to Texas…"

"I lived in Texas!" Grace interrupted.

"I know Sweetheart!" Jenny cooed at her.

Gibbs put Grace on his lap and twirled some of his lo mein on his chopsticks to feed to her.

"Working with you again brings back so many memories," Jenny continued. "Six years ago we weren't ready to…"

"We?" this time it was Gibbs who interrupted.

"Me. I," Jenny corrected herself. "I wasn't ready for anything permanent. I had other priorities, but things are different now, for both of us. Besides, watching you with Grace," Jenny smiled, "you're so good with kids Jethro."

Gibbs kissed the top of Grace's head. She was now using her fingers to wrap the Chinese noodles around a chop stick so she could feed it to Gibbs. "I'm not really sure what to say Jen," Gibbs said. He opened his mouth and let Grace feed him the single noodle she had worked so hard on before reclaiming his chopsticks from her.

"You don't have to answer right now," Jenny said. As much of a relief as it was for Gibbs, it was also a relief to her. She hadn't quite prepared herself for a no. "Just think about it and let me know later."

Gibbs nodded his head at Jenny and fed the last little bit of lo mein to Grace.

By the time they got back to NCIS Grace was sound asleep in the back of the car. She barely woke when Gibbs got her out. She snuggled into his shoulder while he carried her into the building. Jenny offered the couch in her office for the little girls nap. She brought the quilt Ziva had given Grace and Gibbs grabbed the pillow pet Abby had thoughtfully given to her. After he tucked her in on the couch and kissed her forehead Gibbs headed back downstairs to check on the progress of the case.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 **

_Author's Note: This takes place immediately where Chapter 3 left off. Gibbs has just dropped Grace off in Jenny's office to nap while he goes to check on the progress of the case._

* * *

><p>"Abs!" Gibbs called as he headed into the lab.<p>

"Gibbs, there was a fingerprint on the side of the hospital bed," Abby said. "I've been running it the whole time you were gone but so far, nada. We also have a mystery syringe that Tony found under the bed."

"Anything in it?" Gibbs asked.

"I was able to get traces of whatever was in it last," Abby answered. "Major Mass Spec is working on it now. When he knows something, we'll know something."

"McGee?" Gibbs continued.

"I have been going over Foster's banking activity and so far I can't find anything out of the ordinary," McGee said. "His record with the Navy is spotless but I did find one thing that seemed a little hinky."

"Are you going to tell me or do I have to guess?" Gibbs asked.

"Sorry Boss," McGee said. "In the last four months the petty officer has taken twenty six sick days. According to his medical records he was seen at Bethesda eighteen of those times."

"What are you getting at McGee?" Gibbs asked.

"Every time he was there it was for something minor, muscle ache, migraine, sinus infections, stuff like that," McGee said. "It doesn't make sense to take that many days off unless you have a chronic illness but there's no record of that in his file."

"Find out why the hell he was visiting Bethesda Naval Hospital so much McGee. Are Tony and Ziva back yet?"

"No Boss, haven't heard from them," McGee answered quickly.

Gibbs disappeared from the lab and took the elevator down to visit Ducky.

"Oh heavens Jethro, I'm nowhere near ready for you yet," Ducky said as he inspected his patients hand and fingers with a magnifying glass.

"You find any puncture marks Duck?" Gibbs asked.

"That's what I'm currently looking for," Ducky said, holding up the magnifying glass to show Gibbs. "Maybe your timing isn't off after all. The most common places drug addicts inject themselves to try to prevent being found out is between the fingers and even more commonly between the toes." Gibbs half listened while he waited for an answer from his medical examiner. "Needle marks on the arms are quite visible to the naked eye and those track marks, as they are called, are a tell-tell sign of a habitual drug user. Our patient, however, preferred the base of the hallux."

"Hallux?" Gibbs questioned.

"The big toe." Ducky held the magnifying glass in front of the tiny puncture so Gibbs could see for himself.

"He do that to himself Doc?" Gibbs asked.

"He could have although it isn't the easiest place to give oneself an injection. Whether he did it or not, I can tell you one thing. There is no medical reason to administer an injection in that particular spot."

"So what you're telling me is that's not from his recent stay at the hospital?" Gibbs asked.

"You are correct Jethro."

Gibbs took the elevator back to the squad room and arrived at the same time as Tony and Ziva. "What'd you two find out?" Gibbs asked as he sat down at his desk.

"Not too much Boss," Tony answered. He threw his backpack behind his desk and continued. "Most of his neighbors never had any contact with him, never even saw him, but lucky for us he lived across the street from Mrs. Kravitz…"

"We did not interview anyone named Mrs. Kravitz," Ziva interrupted.

Tony looked over at Ziva. "You're kidding, right? Mrs. Kravitz, you know, the nosy neighbor from Bewitched? Played by Alice Pearce and Sandra Gould…"

"Tony," Gibbs said firmly.

"Right," Tony said, refocusing. "Our nosy neighbor said Foster was hardly ever home, but when he did come home it was always late at night, like really late."

"How late?" Gibbs asked.

"Like 0100," Tony said, "and he usually left around 0500."

"Anything interesting in the house?" Gibbs asked.

"Nothing seemed out of the ordinary," Ziva answered. "The front door was still locked and there was no sign of a struggle or anything missing. McGee and Abby have his computer."

"Where's Baby Gibbs?" Tony asked. Gibbs glared over at Tony. "You know? Grace?" Tony looked at Gibbs who was still glaring at him. "Getting back to work Boss!"

"Good idea DiNozzo," Gibbs said. "I'm going for coffee."

* * *

><p>Jenny had just hung up the phone when Grace started moving around on the couch. She stood from her chair and walked over to the young girl temporarily in her care.<p>

"Good morning sleepy head," Jenny said softly, trying not to startle Grace.

Grace jerked her head around in the direction of Jenny's voice. Her eyes met Jenny's briefly before she frantically scanned the room for a familiar face. "Daddy," she said, her voice cracking.

"Daddy's around here somewhere," Jenny tried to reassure the girl.

"Excuse me Director," Cynthia interrupted, "you have a conference call waiting in MTAC."

"Thank you Cynthia, I'll be right there." Jenny wrapped the quilt around Grace and carefully picked her up. She couldn't help but notice how natural it felt to have a child hanging off her hip. She thought back to Paris when she had chosen her job over starting a family and wondered if she had made a mistake. She hoped it wasn't too late.

"Where's my daddy?" Grace whimpered, breaking Jenny from her memories.

"Let's go find him Sweetheart." Jenny smiled at the girl. Jenny carried Grace down the steps into the bullpen searching for Gibbs. She spotted Tony, Tim and Ziva all working at their desks but there was no sign of Gibbs. "Where's Gibbs?" she asked no one in particular.

"Coffee run Director," Tony answered quickly. The three agents looked up to see Jenny holding Grace. Jenny almost asked if they knew when he'd return but realized it would be futile. Gibbs would be back in his own time.

"You need us to watch Grace?" Tim asked hopefully.

"If anybody's watching her it's definitely going to be me," Tony said as he stood from his desk.

"Why you?" Tim asked, angered at the thought of not even being considered.

"Guys," Jenny said softly enough not to scare Grace but firmly enough to get their attention. Both agents stopped bickering and looked at the director and Grace who was now sucking her thumb with her head resting on Jenny's shoulder. "I have a conference call in MTAC, otherwise I would keep her. I need one of you to watch her until Gibbs returns."

"Rock, paper, scissors Probie, come on!" Tony said as he strolled over to Tim's desk. "One shot, this is it, winner gets the girl."

Jenny and Ziva rolled their eyes at Tony and Tim fighting over the four year old. Tony showed rock while Tim chose paper, making him the winner.

"Best two out of three," Tony quickly said.

"Nope! Winner takes all, your own rules," Tim shot back. "Paper beats rock, I win."

Tony grumbled under his breath as he reluctantly returned to his desk. Jenny carried Grace over to Tim's desk and held her out to him. Tim cautiously took the child, obviously unsure of himself.

"Have you ever done this before Agent McGee?" Jenny asked with a chuckle.

"Um, no, not exactly," Tim said holding Grace awkwardly. Jenny smiled and helped Tim get Grace situated comfortably in his lap. "Tell Gibbs I want to see him when he gets a chance," she said as she hurried up the stairs.

"You don't even know how to do it right McBabysitter," Tony snarled from his desk. "Why don't you let the professional handle it?"

Tim ignored Tony and focused on Grace. "Do you want to watch a movie?" he asked. Grace nodded her head, still sucking her thumb. Tim turned his laptop on and found one of the few animated movies he had downloaded directly to the computer. "Um, I don't think your dad wants you to suck on your fingers," McGee told Grace as he started _The Incredibles_.

"Cuz my teeth will be crooked?" Grace asked Tim.

"Yah," McGee smiled, pleased that the small child had actually listened to him. "You don't want to have to get braces when you're older."

"Ok," Grace said. She cuddled into Tim, resting her head against his chest as the movie started playing. Tim smiled proudly at his small accomplishment.

* * *

><p>When Gibbs got back with his coffee he found a still sleepy Grace wrapped in her quilt sitting on McGee's lap. McGee was playing a DVD for her on his laptop computer while he was busy working on his desktop computer.<p>

"Aw McGee! That's so sweet!" Abby said as she rounded the corner into the bullpen. "And you did not come see me!" Abby said shaking her finger at Gibbs.

"I just walked in the door Abs," Gibbs said holding up his coffee. He patted Grace's head before sitting down at his desk. "Got something for me?"

"Major Mass Spec is finished analyzing the solution from our mystery syringe," Abby said. "Potassium chloride."

"The stuff they use for lethal injections?" Tony asked.

"Lethal injections are a combination of three different drugs," Abby said. "The first puts you to sleep, the second stops your breathing, and the third, potassium chloride, stops your heart."

"Any prints on the syringe?" Gibbs asked.

"No prints on the syringe," Abby answered. "I'm still running our mystery print from the bed but so far no hits."

"Thanks Abs," Gibbs said.

Abby walked over to McGee's desk. "You're going to make a really great dad McGee," she said before continuing to the elevator.

"You ok McGee?" Gibbs asked.

"Yah Boss, fine," Tim said. "The director brought her down while you were out getting coffee so I offered to watch her. She's in MTAC right now, she wanted to see you."

"Do you want me to take her?" Gibbs asked.

"No, no, no!" Tim answered quickly, not wanting to give Grace up. "I can still do my work and watch her."

Gibbs smiled and headed for the stairs. Abby was right, Grace cuddled in Tim's lap watching a movie while he worked was precious.

"You wanted to see me Director?" Gibbs asked. He sat down in the chair next to her and took a drink of his coffee.

"Jethro, your back," Jenny said. "While you were gone I received a call from Petty Officer Foster's CO. He's set aside some time first thing tomorrow morning to answer any questions you may have."

"That it?" Gibbs asked.

"What did you expect? A parade?" Gibbs detected a hint of annoyance in Jenny's voice. He wondered if it was because of his indecision over their lunchtime conversation. "I'm sorry Jethro. I'm just tired and it doesn't help that we're having turf wars with the FBI again. I'm waiting for them now." Jenny pointed at the large screen on the wall in front of them.

"Here, drink this," Gibbs said handing her his coffee. "It'll make you feel better." Jenny gladly accepted his offer and with her thanks he disappeared almost as quickly as he'd arrived.

"Daddy." Grace walked slowly over to Gibbs when he returned. "You leaved me all alone."

"I left you with Tim, Sweet Pea." Gibbs knelt down in front of her and smoothed her hair.

"Where did you go?" Grace sat on Gibbs' knee as he was kneeling and put her arm around his neck.

"I had to go to MTAC but you wouldn't like it in there. It's really dark and sometimes there are scary things on the TV." Gibbs picked her up and carried her over to his desk. He sat down and put her in his lap.

"Do you ever get scared Daddy?" Grace asked.

"Everybody gets scared sometimes Gracie."

"I gonna go finish the movie but don't leave me again, ok?"

"Ok, I promise," Gibbs said. He kissed Grace's head and helped her off his lap. She twirled in circles on her way back over to McGee's desk and fell into his lap from dizziness. McGee helped her get situated before starting her movie again.

"Tony, Ziva, I want you two in Bethesda tomorrow at 0700 to talk to Foster's CO," Gibbs said.

"You got it Boss," DiNozzo said.

Later that afternoon Gibbs took Grace down to Abby's lab to check on her progress. As soon as they entered Grace asked, "what do ya got Abs?"

Abby cocked her head at Grace and smiled. "Well, aren't you a chip off the old block!" Gibbs smiled and handed Abby a Caf-Pow. "Well Gibbs and Gibblet," Abby said looking from Gibbs to Grace, "I just got a hit on the fingerprint from the bed." Abby punched a few keys on her keyboard bringing up a mug shot on the screen. "Meet Nathaniel Miller. He spent some time in juvey for burglary but he's been clean ever since."

"Does he work at the hospital?" Gibbs asked.

"No," Abby said with a mischievous smile, "but his wife does." She was rewarded with a kiss on the cheek before Gibbs left.

* * *

><p>"Hey Ziva," Tony said. "I was thinking…"<p>

"You? Thinking?" Ziva laughed. "Now that sounds dangerous!" she teased.

McGee didn't bother trying to hide his laughter.

"No comments from the peanut gallery McGiggle," Tony said. He cleared his throat and glared at Ziva. "Anyways, since we have to be at Bethesda at 0700 why don't you just spend the night at my place?"

Ziva's single chuckle turned into a string of giggles. She let her eyes wander lustfully over Tony's body. "I would Tony but, I have a hot date tonight," she said.

"So do I!" Tony said, not wanting to be outdone.

"Would your date happen to be on the computer, with McGee?" Ziva asked, remembering the time Tony created a fake profile and led McGee on.

"I already told you, it was late, and it seemed like a good idea at the time. I can't help it if I'm a lovable guy," Tony said, reclining in his chair. "Even McGee loves me."

"Whatever Tony," McGee said. "I knew it was you I just played along to get back at you."

"Abby found a print on our mystery syringe," Gibbs said as he strolled into the bullpen. "It belongs to Nathaniel Miller. His wife works in the ER at Bethesda Naval Hospital." Gibbs sat down at his desk.

"Did you hear that Ziva?" Tony asked.

"What?" Ziva snapped. "No wait, let me guess, the wife did it!" Ziva said, mocking Tony.

"Yah, well, part of being the senior field agent is being able to detect certain patterns in people's behavior," Tony said smugly.

"Tony, if you guess the wife every time sooner or later you will get it right," Ziva said.

"Boss!" McGee said excitedly. He grabbed the remote and made his computer screen visible on the plasma. "Nathaniel Miller's wife, Sarah was Foster's nurse every time he visited the Emergency Room." McGee scrolled through Foster's records from his hospital visits and pointed out Sarah Miller as the nurse on each of them.

"When you two are at Bethesda tomorrow morning I want you to pick up any surveillance footage from the hospital," Gibbs told Tony and Ziva.

"There are no surveillance cameras in the exam rooms," Tony pointed out.

"I know that bonehead!" Gibbs said getting frustrated.

"Boss! Not in front of the Gibblet!" Tony interrupted.

Gibbs took a breath. Tony was definitely pushing his luck but he refrained from smacking him upside the head in front of Grace. "I want to know if they were seen coming or going from the hospital together."

Gibbs knew there wasn't much more they could do until morning so he sent everyone home.

* * *

><p>Gibbs tucked Grace into bed and read her one of the Dr. Seuss books Abby had given her. After she fell asleep he brushed the hair from her face and kissed her good night before heading down to his basement. He dumped the loose screws out of a small glass container and replaced them with a shot of bourbon.<p>

Instead of going right to work on his boat, Gibbs leaned against the cabinets and let his mind wander. He felt so blessed to have Grace but the thought of being a single dad was beginning to weigh on him. He remembered how Shannon had always been there with Kelly. No matter how panicked he got, she always seemed to have the answers. He retrieved Kelly's old lunchbox off a shelf over his head. Its contents were priceless, the only physical reminders of his beloved wife and daughter. He pulled out the dog tags he'd given Kelly when she was four years old. He ran his finger over the engraved letters, _Kelly and Daddy_. He pulled out the photographs and began flipping through them remembering the day each of them was taken.

Gibbs took a drink of the bourbon, enjoying the familiar sensation of the whiskey burning his throat as it went down. He carefully returned the lunchbox to the shelf and started thinking about the conversation he had with Jenny at the Chinese restaurant. He certainly hadn't expected it. Even though he had fond memories of traveling Europe together and of being partners, in more ways than one, he wasn't sure if he wanted to jump into a relationship with everything else going on. Then again, he knew what he was getting with Jenny, it wasn't a mystery.

Gibbs sighed deeply as he tried to process everything that had happened over the last few days. He picked up his sanding block and a piece of sandpaper. It was time to busy his hands with the woodwork. He knew his thoughts would sort themselves out as his hands worked. As if right on cue Grace slowly came down the basement stairs, her eyes somewhat glazed over. Gibbs leaned down and kissed the top of her head as she wandered by him, climbed under the boat and curled up on the sleeping mat Gibbs had used when he was in the Marine Corps. The long monotonous strokes of the sandpaper against the wood put Grace almost immediately back to sleep. Gibbs watched her eyelids flutter closed and her breathing even out and once again he was left alone, with his thoughts.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: A little bit of drama with Grace coming in the next chapter and some Jibbs. Thank you all for reading and reviewing. I really appreciate it! =)<em>


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 **

Gibbs woke up at his usual 0500 on Wednesday morning. As he filled his lungs with the fresh morning air he couldn't help but notice his chest felt heavy. He opened his eyes and found Grace sprawled out on top of him. He took a moment to watch her sleep, her body rising and falling ever so slightly with each breath he took. He gently rolled her over onto the pillow next to him, careful not to wake her and went down to the kitchen to start the coffee before getting in the shower.

He had just finished his shower and pulled his pants on when he heard a knock at the door. He pulled a white undershirt over his head then made his way downstairs. By the time he arrived at the front door, the knocking had become persistent. He opened the door to find a panicked Abby.

"Gibbs! You're up!" Abby threw herself at Gibbs giving him a tight hug. "You locked your door. You never lock your door. Why did you lock your door?" Gibbs listened patiently as she quickly rattled off questions.

"It's not just me anymore Abs, I have to make sure Gracie's safe," Gibbs explained coolly.

"Oh, that's good Gibbs," Abby said. "It is safer; you should lock your door."

"Only at night," he said, "what's wrong?"

"Oh my gosh Gibbs, I was sound asleep when I felt something run across my covers. I woke up and turned my lamp on and there was a huge rat! It was white and it had red eyes and it was staring at me."

"I didn't know you had a pet rat," Gibbs teased, attempting to calm her down.

"I don't Gibbs!" Abby said, frustrated. "I've never had a problem with rodents in my apartment. Now I can't go back there. I don't like rats; they're creepy with their red eyes and long tails." Abby scrunched her face. "I can't kill it because you know how I feel about animals, even if they're creepy, they are all God's creatures and it doesn't deserve to die just because it wandered into my apartment. I think I'm going to have to move now Gibbs!"

Gibbs put his arm around Abby and pulled her close to him so he could kiss her forehead. "Relax Abs, it's ok. We'll call the exterminator when they open and they'll take of everything for you. You can stay with us until then."

"What if there's like a whole nest of them? What if they are living in my cabinets or walls, or under my bed Gibbs? What if there's more of them? I don't know what to do!" Abby asked still in a panic.

"White rats are usually people's pets," Gibbs said. "It probably just got out of its cage and found its way into your apartment. Don't worry about any—"

"Daddy?" Gibbs turned around to see Grace at the top of the stairs, her small body shaking. Gibbs didn't know if it was because she was cold or if she had another nightmare.

"Come here Sweet Pea," he said. He met her halfway up the stairs and scooped her into his arms. "Are you ok?" Grace nodded her head and cuddled into Gibbs' warm embrace. Gibbs sat down on the couch with Grace cradled into one of his arms and the other arm around a still upset Abby who was resting her head on his shoulder. It didn't take long before both had fallen back asleep in Gibbs' protective arms. Gibbs gently laid Abby down on the couch and Grace in his recliner. He tucked both girls in, kissed their foreheads and then went to the kitchen to get his first cup of coffee for the day.

* * *

><p>"What kind of dad do you think Papa Bear is?" Tony asked as he and Ziva were driving back from interviewing Foster's CO. "You think he head slaps Grace? I wonder if he talks to her or gives her the Gibbs stare," Tony attempted to mimic the way Gibbs would stare them down.<p>

"I do not have to think," Ziva answered. "Gibbs is the closest thing I have to a father. Grace is lucky to have him."

"Wait till she starts dating," Tony laughed at the thought. "Can you imagine a guy showing up on Gibbs' doorstep to take his daughter to prom?"

Ziva joined in Tony's laughter, hiding the sting of pain she felt. Her father had raised her to be a killer, nothing more. He had never protected her from anything. She appreciated the fact that Gibbs loved her unconditionally. She knew it was ok to let her guard down with him, even though she didn't do it often. She appreciated the fact that she didn't always have to be ok around him like she did with her own father. She was grateful for everything he did for her. It felt good to know he cared enough about her to mentor her.

"Hey," Tony said, breaking Ziva away from her thoughts. "I didn't mean to bring up painful memories," he said apologetically.

"You didn't," Ziva lied.

Tony nodded and decided to drop the subject. "Well, Baby Gibbs is probably the safest kid in America," he said.

* * *

><p>After the unexpected drama of the morning, Gibbs arrived at work only slightly later than normal with his extra house guest. Abby disappeared down to her lab and after Grace had given Gibbs her best sad puppy eyes he decided to keep her with him for the morning.<p>

"Is something wrong with Abby, Boss?" Tim asked. When she arrived with Gibbs he automatically became worried.

"Everything's fine," Gibbs answered.

"Well it's just that she always stays at her own place unless something's wrong," Tim continued.

"She found a rat in her apartment McGee," Gibbs said, knowing Tim would be distracted until he found out what was going on. "Tony, Ziva, what'd you find out?"

"Foster's CO didn't have much to say," Tony answered. "Model sailor, never any disciplinary problems, always on time, did his job."

"He did what was required of him, never anything more," Ziva added.

"Boss, the connection has got to be the ER nurse, Sarah Miller and her husband," Tim said.

"Sarah Miller was having an affair with Foster," Tony said confidently.

"For once I am going to have to agree with Tony," Ziva reluctantly admitted.

"I want more," Gibbs said. "DiNozzo, get down to the lab and help Abby go through the security camera footage. David, I want phone records, I want to know if there has been any contact between these two outside of the hospital. McGee, get into their e-mail accounts, text messages, hell, smoke signals if they used them. Figure out if there's anything there we can use."

Tony and Tim quickly disappeared down to the lab while Ziva sat down at her desk and got to work on her computer. Gibbs took Grace's hand and led her down to autopsy. He was relieved to find Ducky didn't have any bodies out on the table yet.

"Morning Duck," Gibbs greeted. Grace walked in right beside Gibbs and studied the new room. She hadn't yet been down to autopsy.

"Jethro, you're visiting awfully early this morning. Something on your mind?" Ducky asked.

"Any evidence of recent lovemaking?" Gibbs asked.

"An appendectomy can be a very painful surgery when you're talking about—" Ducky stopped short and looked down at Grace. "When you're talking about getting back on the horse, so to speak. I did, however, take swabs. They are in the capable hands of Miss Sciuto."

"Thanks Ducky," Gibbs said as he led Grace back to the elevator. He got off at Abby's lab just in time to hear a bloodcurdling scream. He raced into the lab to find Tony laughing and Abby clutching her chest.

"What the hell is going on in here?" Gibbs asked angrily.

"Tony thought it would be funny to hide this by my computer," Abby panted, holding up a large fake rat.

"Boss, I just…" Gibbs smacked the back of Tony's head before he had a chance to make up an excuse. "Thank you Boss! Sorry Abs." Abby glared at Tony while Gibbs took the fake rat and threw it in the trash.

"You have a chance to run the DNA on those swabs Ducky sent you last night?" Gibbs asked Abby.

"It's running right now Gibbs," Abby said. "I'll let you know if I get a match."

"You three stop screwing around down here and find me some answers!" Gibbs demanded before he took Grace and left.

Gibbs took Grace back to the squad room and got out the Leapster Tim had given her. He studied the small handheld device but had no clue how to even turn it on. He was just getting ready to exchange it for a coloring book when Tim hurried into the bullpen with a handful of papers.

"Boss! Foster and Miller have been exchanging e-mails for the past six months," Tim said. He handed Gibbs the stack of printouts. "Some of them were to set up secret rendezvous and some were, well, they're explicit Boss. They were definitely having an affair."

"Good job McGee," Gibbs said as his cell phone started ringing. "Gibbs," he said into the receiver. He handed Tim the Leapster. There was a short pause before he continued his phone conversation. "What? I have the custody paperwork!" Tim and Ziva looked at Gibbs and then at each other. "I'll be down there as soon as I can," Gibbs said after another short pause.

Gibbs clipped his phone back to his belt, avoiding Ziva and Tim's questioning eyes. "I have to go talk to the director," he said. He knelt down in front of Grace and smiled at her. "I have to go upstairs for a minute. I need you to stay here with Tim. He's going to help you with that frog thingy." Tim looked from Gibbs to the Leapster in his hands.

"Are you gonna come back?" Grace asked, slightly worried about being left.

"I'll be right back Sweet Pea," Gibbs promised. He hugged Grace and kissed her cheek before handing her off to Tim. Gibbs took the stairs two at a time up towards the director's office leaving Tim and Ziva confused and worried in the bullpen. He walked by Cynthia and into Jenny's office without bothering to knock and found her at her desk working on paperwork.

"Can I help you Agent Gibbs?" she asked without looking up. He was the only one bold enough to come into her office unannounced.

Gibbs sat quietly in the chair in front of her desk and waited for her undivided attention. Jenny looked up from her papers and met his gaze. "I need to go back to Texas for a few days," he said.

Jenny cocked her head in confusion and laid her pen down on her desk. "Is something wrong? I thought you got everything taken care of down there."

"So did I," Gibbs said. "Child Protective Services in Tyler just called. Robert's brother is fighting for custody, says I'm an unfit guardian."

"The judge isn't going to buy that!" Jenny said quickly. Gibbs could hear the worry in her voice and hoped she couldn't read the worry on his face.

"I just need a couple days to get this all worked out," Gibbs said.

Jenny nodded in disbelief at the news she'd just received. "Take all the time you need." Gibbs got up and headed for the door. "Jethro," Jenny said as he opened the door. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Gibbs thought for a moment before closing the door and returning to Jenny's desk. "Know any good character witnesses?" he asked.

Jenny knew that was as close to an invitation as she was going to get from Gibbs. "When do we leave?" she asked.

"As soon as I can get us packed," Gibbs answered.

Jenny grabbed her briefcase and followed Gibbs out of her office. She quickly briefed Cynthia before heading to the squad room with Gibbs. When they got downstairs they found Tony, Tim, Ziva, and Abby all waiting with worried looks on their faces.

"Boss?" Tony asked, hoping Gibbs would explain what was going on. Ziva had called down to the lab and told them about the phone call Gibbs had received so he and Abby hurried upstairs to find out what was wrong.

"What've you got DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.

"We just came up here to check, Ziva said you got a phone call and…"

"Tony," Gibbs voice was firm, warning him to get on subject.

"We were going through the security camera footage in the courtyard when we found this," Abby said. She played the footage on the plasma. Gibbs could see Nathaniel Miller hiding in the bushes while Sarah Miller and Benjamin Foster sat together on a nearby bench.

"Miller saw his wife making out with Foster, got his hands on a syringe filled with potassium chloride, went to the hospital and killed him," Tony said.

"The swabs Ducky sent up yesterday showed Sarah Miller's DNA on Foster's nether regions," Abby said. "Apparently it was too soon after surgery for intercourse so they went with oral instead."

"That's good work guys," Gibbs said. "You have all the evidence; all you have to do is close the case."

"Boss?" Tony asked.

"You're in charge DiNozzo," Gibbs said.

"Boss, they're not taking Gracie away from us are they?" Tim asked, holding the small child in his arms.

"We're going to Texas," Gibbs said. "Be back in a couple days."

"Gibbs?" Abby asked, her voice coated in concern.

"You're more than welcome to stay at my place as long as you want Abs," Gibbs said. "I already called the exterminator for you." He put his arm around Abby and pulled her into his chest. "Everything's going to be ok," he whispered before kissing her temple. Abby wasn't sure if he was talking about her rat situation or the situation with Grace.

Gibbs took Grace from Tim, who was reluctant to give her up. "Go pick up the Miller's," he instructed before turning and walking out with Jenny. Grace waved at Tony, Tim, Ziva, and Abby over Gibbs' shoulder as they stood and watched them leave.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_Author's Note: This chapter bounces around a little; I hope it's not too confusing. Gibbs, Jenny, and Grace are in Texas—Tony, Tim, Ziva, and Abby are in DC. I separated it using page breaks. Thank you to all who are reading and reviewing. I love your feedback! It is greatly appreciated!_

* * *

><p>Gibbs parked the sedan in the long-term parking lot at Dulles International Airport. He hadn't expected to be returning so soon. He got the bags out of the trunk while Jenny unbuckled Grace and got her out of the car.<p>

"Daddy?" Grace asked. Gibbs could hear the anxiety in her voice.

"It's ok Sweet Pea," Gibbs reassured her. Grace reached her arm towards Gibbs trying to get over to him.

"She's shaking Jethro," Jenny said softly. "I think she's scared."

Gibbs took Grace in one arm while he held the luggage in the other. Grace held onto Gibbs' neck firmly. Jenny checked them in at the airport and got their boarding passes. After they made it through security they only had a short wait to board their plane.

"You don't wanna be my daddy anymore?" Grace asked quietly, still in Gibbs' arms.

"Oh Gracie, I'm still going to be your daddy," Gibbs reassured her. "We've just got to go to Texas for a couple days so we can talk to some people." He hoped he wasn't lying to her. He didn't think the judge would take Grace from him but he knew anything was possible.

"I wanna live with you Daddy," Gracie whimpered. "Please don't make me go away." Gracie stood on Gibbs' lap and wrapped her arms around his neck wanting to be as close to him as possible. Jenny's heart broke as she watched the embrace. The reality ahead of them was they may only need two plane tickets back to DC. She was worried about how Gibbs would be affected if he lost Grace. She knew he still struggled with Shannon and Kelly's deaths.

"Nobody's going to take you away from me Baby Girl," Gibbs said quietly. He held Grace tight and kissed her forehead a few times while they waited to board the plane.

* * *

><p>Tony, Ziva, Tim and Abby decided to go out for a drink after work that night. They had managed to close their case even with their minds being distracted and they were ready to unwind.<p>

"Do you think they would really take Grace away from Gibbs?" Tim asked.

"Anything could happen Probie," Tony said, a hint of concern in his voice. He signaled the bartender to bring him another beer.

"Bite your tongue!" Abby said firmly. "Nobody, and I mean nobody is going to take that precious child away from us!"

"Abby," Ziva started.

Abby held her hand up in front of Ziva's face. "If it's negative I don't want to hear it. I'm only channeling positive energy right now."

The three special agents hoped Abby was right. If Gibbs came home without Grace it would leave a big hole in their tight family.

"In fact," Abby continued, "I have something planned for their return." The three agents stared solemnly at Abby. Once she was sure she had their attention she continued, "While they're gone we're going to decorate Grace's room."

"We?" Tony asked.

"Yes Tony, we!" Abby said. "I don't know if you've been in there but the walls are plain and this horrible off-white color. There are no decorations, not even a picture. And her bed, ugh, she has a plain navy blue comforter and blue sheets, it's kind of dark and depressing. There isn't hardly any furniture in there. It's more like a cold, empty shell than a little girl's room."

"Gibbs is going to kill us if we start messing around in his house," Tim pointed out. "Well, maybe not _you_, but _us_ he would kill."

"Relax McGee," Abby said. "I already talked to Gibbs. I was going to fix up Grace's room while they were in Stillwater for the funeral but then I got called in on a case so I couldn't. Now is the perfect opportunity. Please," she pleaded.

Tony, Tim and Ziva all exchanged looks. "Abby," Ziva said, "what if they do take the child away? Then Gibbs will have a permanent reminder of what he has lost."

Abby frowned as she sighed deeply. "Come on guys" she pleaded. "It'll be a good omen. They're not going to take Grace away. They just can't. Right?"

Tim caved first. He never could say no to Abby. "I'm in," he said. Abby smiled and put her arm around his shoulder.

"Me too," Ziva quickly agreed.

"Let's do it!" Tony said.

* * *

><p>After their plane landed Gibbs, Jenny and Grace stopped at Enterprise for a rental car, then Gibbs drove the still familiar route to Tyler, Texas. It was nearing 7:00 in the evening so all the government buildings had already closed for the day. Gibbs planned on going to Child Protective Services first thing in the morning. He was eager to get the situation sorted out so they could return home.<p>

It had been an emotionally draining day so after they checked into a hotel they decided to have a pizza delivered instead of going out somewhere to eat. When they were finished eating, they all piled on one of the queen size beds in the room and Jenny found a cartoon for Grace to watch. It wasn't long before Grace was sleeping comfortably on Gibbs' chest.

"She's sleeping Jethro," Jenny said softly.

Gibbs smiled and rested his hand on Grace's back. "I think you were right," he said. Jenny cocked her head and smiled at him. "I don't think she likes to be alone. Late at night while I'm in the basement working she always wanders downstairs and curls up under the boat to sleep." Jenny rested her hand on Gibbs' forearm. "Sometimes when I wake up in the morning she's in bed with me," he added.

"It'll take her some time to adjust," Jenny said. "She lost both of her parents suddenly. Her sense of security has been threatened."

Gibbs shook his head in confusion. "I'm having a difficult time understanding it Jen," he admitted. "Robert beat her and Linda tried to love her but when you can't love yourself it's hard to love somebody else."

Jenny tightened her grip on Gibbs' forearm. "It's all she's ever known Jethro. It's warped but it's her idea of love. All children crave love."

"I want her to know what love really is," Gibbs said.

"She's young, and she's got a very loving father now," Jenny said warmly. "She's going to be just fine."

"I hope so," Gibbs said. He leaned down and kissed the top of Grace's head before carefully getting up and tucking her into the other bed. He went into the bathroom to relieve himself before returning. "I'll take the floor," he said, grabbing a pillow from the bed.

"Don't be ridiculous Jethro," Jenny said. "It's not like we haven't shared a bed before."

Gibbs studied Jenny's face. He hesitated before answering. "Jen, I don't…"

"We're both adults," Jenny interrupted, sensing his hesitation.

"Ok," Gibbs finally agreed. He laid the pillow back on the bed and climbed under the covers.

"I've been thinking about what you said at the Chinese restaurant," Gibbs said after they'd gotten situated in bed. Jenny's heart skipped a beat. If Gibbs rejected her she knew their remaining time in Texas would be awkward and uncomfortable. She tried to brace herself for the worst case scenario. "I don't want to rush into anything," Gibbs said, "but I don't see any harm in giving us a shot."

Jenny's insides melted like a young school girl whose crush had just asked her out. "That's great Jethro," she said, completely composed despite her inner giddiness. "I'm glad."

Gibbs chuckled uncomfortably. It had been a long time since Paris and he wasn't sure if he was making the right decision. There was a reason for rule number twelve, but there was also a reason for rule number fifty-one. He had decided to take a chance for Grace's sake. "Come here," he whispered to Jenny. He extended his arm and let her rest her head on his chest. He pulled the blanket around them and then wrapped his arm around Jenny and held her close to him.

"Good night Jen," he whispered in her ear before placing a light, soft kiss on her cheek.

"Good night Jethro," Jenny said, her smile obvious even though it was too dark to see her face.

* * *

><p>"You do realize we could go to jail for this," Tim said as he quickly typed on the computer in Abby's lab, "and when I say we, I mean Abby and I."<p>

"Oh stop worrying and type McPanic," Tony said around a mouthful of sandwich.

It was Thursday morning and the group had a little down time after closing their case. Abby and Tim were attempting to hack into Tyler, Texas CPS records to find out what was going on with Grace while Tony and Ziva hovered over their shoulders watching closely.

"We're in!" Abby said.

"What does it say?" Ziva asked.

"Dylan Bryant is trying to get custody of Grace," McGee said.

"Who's that?" Tony asked.

Abby scrolled through the page. "Dylan is Robert's brother, Grace's uncle. He's alleging Gibbs is an unfit guardian because of his dangerous and demanding job as well as him being single."

"He's also saying Grace shouldn't be moved out of Texas," McGee added. "There's no court date, the case is still being reviewed by CPS."

"What does that mean?" Ziva asked.

"If Dylan's case is legitimate, CPS will send him and Gibbs to family court," Abby explained. "They'll each have to argue their case in front of a judge."

"All that stuff Dylan said about Gibbs is true," McGee said, worried.

"There are a lot of single parents with dangerous jobs McGee," Tony said, "it doesn't mean they're less capable of raising kids."

"That's right!" Abby said. "Anybody would be…"

"Hot case?" a deep voice startled the group. They quickly jerked around to see their temporary director standing in the doorway.

"Director Vance, we were just um…" McGee stuttered.

"Well, you see, it's just that…" Tony added.

"We just closed our case," Ziva took over as Tony and Tim stood beside her nodding. "We have more than enough evidence to convict Miller and he has just been booked."

"So I can expect to have your reports on my desk sometime soon then?" Vance asked.

"On it Director!" Tony, Tim and Ziva chimed almost in unison. The three hurried out of the lab to the elevator.

* * *

><p>Gibbs slept in later than normal on Thursday morning. As he slowly woke up he could hear whispering and feel something tugging at his fingers. He opened his eyes to see Grace in the bed between him and Jenny with her head resting on his stomach and her feet draped over Jenny's midsection. She was playing with his fingers while having a conversation with herself. Gibbs grinned and watched Grace for a moment before tickling her belly causing her to laugh and squirm. They joyful squeals and movement in the bed woke Jenny as well.<p>

After they had showered and dressed and eaten breakfast they got in the car and headed for Child Protective Services. Gibbs' heart was pounding so loud he was sure Jenny could hear it. He wasn't the nervous type but this was a big deal for Grace's future and he had already tried to rescue her once and had been unsuccessful. He hoped this time would have a different outcome.

A shorter, slightly overweight woman led Gibbs, Jenny and Grace back to her office. "Hi, I'm Miss Mary," she said extending her hand to each of them.

"Jethro Gibbs," Gibbs said, "this is Jennifer Shepard and of course Gracie, uh, Grace."

"Ok Mr. Gibbs," Mary said, "I know your sister and her husband gave you custody of Grace in the event they could no longer take care of her. This is more of a formality. When someone claims a child is not being properly cared for, of course we have to investigate."

"I understand," Gibbs said patiently.

"Grace appears to be in good health," Mary said looking at Grace. "I can see she's clean and has been well cared for. The claim Dylan Bryant made is the child will be in a dangerous environment…"

"Grace isn't in a dangerous environment," Gibbs interrupted.

Mary read through her paperwork. "He is alleging because of your job Grace may be in danger. Where is it that you work?"

"I'm a special agent for NCIS in the Navy Yard in DC," Gibbs answered.

"Oh!" the woman said, somewhat surprised. "Well I can't think of anywhere safer to place a child than with a federal agent." Gibbs smiled and felt a small weight lifted from him. "Another thing he's alleging relates to Grace's education. Because you're a single parent he's challenging your ability to prepare her for school, which would be things like learning her ABCs and…"

"I know my ABCs!" Grace proudly interrupted. She proceeded to sing the alphabet song while Gibbs, Jenny and Mary listened.

"Very good Sweetie!" Mary said. Gibbs kissed the top of Grace's head and made a mental note to thank Tim for getting her the Leapster. "Well Mr. Gibbs, I really don't think you have anything to worry about. You have the ability to provide a permanent, stable home for Grace. She's happy and well-cared for. She's learning and growing at an appropriate rate for someone her age. She appears to be doing very well in your care. We're running the mandatory background checks on Dylan Bryant, after that he will be evaluated as to the care he is capable of providing the child. This case may end up in front of a judge but you do have the law on your side since your sister wanted you to have custody of the child. Unfortunately it's just a waiting game right now."

"Any idea how long this might take?" Gibbs asked. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He was hoping everything would be resolved immediately even though he knew that was rarely how things worked.

"If you end up having to see a judge you might be here through next week, possibly the following week depending on how long it takes to reach a decision."

Jenny rested her hand on Gibbs' arm. She could see the worry in his face. She felt a bit unneeded as far as the legal process went but she was glad she could be there for moral support. They said goodbye to Miss Mary before Gibbs scooped Grace up and offered his other arm to Jenny and they headed back to their rental car.

* * *

><p>"You were not joking when you said this room is like a turtle's shell," Ziva told Abby as she looked around Grace's bedroom.<p>

"What?" Abby asked, confused.

"A _cold, empty_ shell, Ziva," Tony corrected.

"Ok, Tony and Tim, you guys are in charge of painting the walls. I ran out at lunch and picked out the paint," Abby pointed to the paint cans in the corner of the room. "Grace's favorite color is blue so I got kind of a light blue. Ziva and I are going to go shopping! We need a comforter and sheet set, curtains, some pictures, maybe we can get some of those…"

"Um, Abby," Ziva interrupted. "Maybe I could stay here and help with the painting. I do not really do well at the shopping thing."

"Oh," Abby said, somewhat surprised.

"Why don't you take Probie?" Tony suggested. "You learn any decorating tips from all those women's magazines you read?"

"As a matter of fact I did Tony," Tim said proudly. "I would love to go shopping with you Abby."

"Ok," Abby said shrugging her shoulders. "We'll pick up some pizza for dinner on our way home.

* * *

><p>The sun was setting in Texas Thursday evening and Gibbs found himself on the largest Ferris wheel in North America. Jenny had persuaded him to take Grace to the State Fair in Dallas while they waited to find out what CPS decided.<p>

"Oh my gosh Jethro!" Jenny squealed as she scooted closer to him. "I can't believe how high up we are. Doesn't this make you nervous?"

"Jen, I jumped out of airplanes a lot higher than this in the Marines," Gibbs reminded her.

"Right," Jenny smiled at Gibbs. "What about you Grace? Are you doing ok?"

"I good," Grace said. She was sitting on Gibbs' lap facing him with her small fists balled into his t-shirt as he guarded her with an arm around her back.

"You sure have a death grip on your daddy's shirt," Jenny pointed out. "Are you scared?"

"No," Grace said. "Daddy will make me safe."

Jenny smiled at the child's full confidence in Gibbs to protect her. "What about me?" she asked. "Will your daddy keep me safe?"

Grace had a puzzled look on her face before shrugging her shoulders. "Daddy? You keep her safe too?" she asked.

"Yes Sweet Pea," Gibbs answered. "I'll keep you both safe." Gibbs draped his arm over Jenny's shoulders and held her close to him. She didn't hesitate to relax in his comfortable embrace and enjoy the rest of the ride.

* * *

><p>Tony, Ziva, Tim and Abby worked a half day on Friday before hurrying back over to Gibbs' house to continue their work on Grace's room. The night before, Tony and Ziva had finished painting the walls while Tim and Abby had done all the shopping. Tim picked out an area rug to cover part of the hardwood floor and add some color into the room. Abby picked out a girly bed comforter with matching sheets and a few accent pillows. They found curtains to compliment the color of the walls, some artwork from local artists to hang, a large bean bag chair, a wooden toy box and a bookcase to hold all of Grace's books.<p>

By the time they were done the room was combination of bright blues, greens and light browns, with some subtle pink and orange accents throughout. The walls were decorated with framed artwork, the windows had curtains and all of Grace's things had a place. The room was transformed from an empty shell to a comfortable and inviting place for a young girl.

That night Abby sent Tony, Ziva and Tim away while she stayed behind to add the finishing touches to the room. She wanted to paint a few small groups of butterflies on the walls as well as Grace's name above the headboard of her bed.

* * *

><p>Gibbs and Jenny were expecting Friday to be a long day of waiting to hear something from CPS. They took their time eating breakfast and were trying to figure out what to do for the day when Miss Mary called Gibbs and asked him to come by her office.<p>

Gibbs held Grace tight as they walked into Mary's office. He usually worked on his boat when he needed to clear his head but he hadn't been able to do that since they'd been in Texas. His mind was racing with all the different possibilities of how things could turn out.

"Well Mr. Gibbs, I have some good news for you and Grace," Mary said. "Dylan Bryant was convicted of soliciting a minor for sex. He will not be eligible to petition the court for custody. I've spoken with you and with Grace and determined she is in fine hands. If my child needed a caregiver I would feel confident leaving him with you."

Gibbs smiled at the compliment. "So I can take her home?"

"Yes Sir," Mary smiled, "she's a lucky little girl."

Gibbs breathed a sigh of relief as he hugged and kissed Grace.

"Daddy! You're squishing me!" Grace giggled.

"I love you Gracie," Gibbs said as he looked into her bright, green eyes.

"I love you Daddy," Grace said before planting a wet, sloppy kiss on his cheek.

"You guys ready to go home?" Gibbs asked.

Grace's smile lit up the room as she nodded her head enthusiastically.

"Let's go home Jethro," Jenny said, smiling from ear to ear.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Gibbs and Jenny caught a flight out of the Dallas Fort Worth Airport late Friday afternoon. It was after midnight by the time they arrived back into DC. Gibbs dropped Jenny off at her house before heading home, with Grace sleeping soundly in the backseat. When he pulled into the driveway he could see a dim glow coming from his living room. He parked the car, got Grace out and headed for the house leaving their luggage until the morning.

Gibbs walked in the door and could see Abby sleeping on the couch in the living room. He smiled as he took Grace upstairs. As he got halfway up the stairs he could smell fresh paint. He turned the light on in Grace's room and looked around in awe. He was quite impressed with the work Abby had done while they had been gone. Gibbs tucked Grace into bed and kissed her forehead before turning her light off and going back downstairs.

Gibbs stood at the doorway of the living room and watched Abby sleep for a moment. He smiled as he realized everything was just as it was supposed to be. Grace was home and their family was whole again. He grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and covered Abby, waking her in the process.

"Gibbs?" she said groggily.

"Go back to sleep Abs," Gibbs whispered as he rubbed her shoulder.

"Is Grace home?" Abby asked lifting her head slightly.

"She's upstairs sleeping," Gibbs said smiling. "You did a beautiful job on her room. Thank you."

"Thanks," Abby said in the middle of a yawn, "everyone helped. It wasn't just me."

Gibbs brushed Abby's hair away from her forehead and kissed her goodnight. "Go back to sleep Abby," he said quietly, "I'll see you in the morning." Abby smiled and laid her head back on the pillow. Gibbs pulled the blanket over her shoulders and rubbed her back for a moment before disappearing to the basement.

* * *

><p>Tim headed for Gibbs' house first thing Saturday morning. When he arrived he found Abby sitting on the couch watching TV.<p>

"What are you doing here?" they asked each other at the same time.

"Well," Tim paused, "I wanted to see if Gibbs brought Grace home with him. What about you?"

"It was late when I finished painting so I decided to crash on the co… Wait a minute!" Abby stopped and glared at Tim. "How did you know Gibbs was back?"

McGee quickly tried to think of an explanation. "Um, lucky guess," he said hesitantly.

"Hmm," Abby said, staring Tim down, "never trust a computer hacker."

"Did Gibbs bring Grace home or not?" Tim asked desperately.

Before Abby could answer they heard a noise behind them. They turned to see Grace standing in the doorway staring at them as she sucked her thumb and clutched her blanket.

"Hi Grace!" Tim said.

"You're up!" Abby added. They both hurried towards the small child causing her to back away slightly. "You're scaring her!" Abby scolded Tim.

"Me?" Tim said. "What about you!"

"Where's Daddy?" Grace asked.

"Come here Grace," Tim said as he picked her up. "Daddy must still be sleeping?" he said hesitantly as he looked at Abby.

"Daddy's sleeping in the basement Sweetie," Abby said. "Do you want to watch TV with me and Timmy until he gets up?"

"Daddy will come and get me when he wakes up?" Grace asked.

"Yah," Tim said nodding his head.

"Of course he will Honey!" Abby added. "Do you want to watch The Lion King with us?"

"Lion King? With Simba?" Grace asked excitedly.

"Yep!" Abby said as they all sat down together on the couch. "It's at the part where Simba just met Timon and Pumbaa."

"After that we can play in my new room!" Grace said.

Abby and Tim smiled. "You like your new room?" Abby asked.

"It's berry beautiful," Grace said,

"I'm glad you like it," Abby said. She started the movie again and watched as Tim held Grace. She wanted to hold Grace too but she was happy watching Tim interact with her. It was obvious how much Grace meant to him if he was over at Gibbs's house early on a Saturday morning checking on her.

* * *

><p>Gibbs stretched as he woke up and he quickly realized he wasn't in his bed. He slowly recalled the night before and remembered falling asleep under the boat on the mat Grace usually slept on. The commotion upstairs had awakened him. He rolled off the mat and stretched again before going upstairs. He found Tim, Abby and Grace watching TV in the living room.<p>

"McGee, what are you doing here?" Gibbs asked.

"Daddy!" Grace quickly got off Tim's lap and hurried towards Gibbs. Gibbs moaned as he picked her up. "Are you sick Daddy?" Grace asked concerned.

"No Sweet Pea," Gibbs said smiling. "Daddy's just too old to be sleeping in the basement anymore." Gibbs kissed the tip of Grace's nose making her giggle.

"I got a new bedroom!" Grace proudly told Gibbs.

"I know," Gibbs said, matching Grace's excitement. "It's beautiful, huh? Do you know who did that for you?" Grace shook her head. "Abby, McGee, DiNozzo and Ziva did that just for you. Do you have something to tell them?"

"Thank you for gibing me a new room," Grace said. Gibbs hugged her before handing her back to Tim.

"Hey!" Abby protested. "It's my turn to hold her!" Gibbs took her back from Tim and handed her to Abby.

"I'm going to get coffee," Gibbs said as he headed for the kitchen. "She better still be in one piece when I get back."

* * *

><p>Abby insisted on making breakfast for everyone and she recruited Grace to help her. Tim filled Gibbs in on everything he'd missed until Abby called him into the kitchen. The counter was lined with mixing bowls, pans, and other assorted dishes. Grace was standing on a chair in front of the cabinet covered in flour that was also coating the countertop and floor. Abby normally didn't make such messes but cooking with a four year old was almost guaranteed to be messy.<p>

"What happened in here?" Tim asked quietly, hoping Gibbs wouldn't hear.

"Will you help Grace with the biscuits while I start the gravy?" Abby asked as she removed the sausage from the pan.

McGee looked at the floury mess. "Um, sure, what do I—"

"I couldn't find a biscuit cutter so just use that glass I got out," Abby interrupted. "Roll the dough out, cut out the biscuits and put them on the pan. Grace will show you how to do it."

Gibbs stood in the doorway unannounced and smirked as he watched the sight before him.

"Hi Daddy," Grace said. Tim and Abby turned quickly and were horrified that Gibbs had seen the mess.

"Hi Cutie," Gibbs said.

"Don't worry Boss!" Tim quickly said. "We'll clean it up!"

Gibbs nodded, "I know." He refilled his coffee and sat down at the dining room table with the newspaper.

After a southern style breakfast of sausage, eggs, biscuits and gravy with a little Cajun kick that Abby added, Gibbs helped Tim clean up the kitchen while Abby took Grace upstairs and got her cleaned up.

"How is it that the men always get stuck cleaning the kitchen?" Tim asked while wiping the countertops off.

"That's life McGee," Gibbs said as he washed the dishes.

After the breakfast mess had been cleaned up Tim and Abby went home and Gibbs took Grace out to do the grocery shopping. That night, after they'd had dinner Gibbs started a movie for Grace then went down to the basement to work on his boat for a little while. He hadn't been down there long when Jenny showed up.

"What's up Jen?" Gibbs asked.

"I just wanted to see you," Jenny said awkwardly. Gibbs took Jenny's jacket and laid it over the stair railing then kissed her cheek gently. She regained her confidence before continuing. "I had a really good time in Texas Jethro, I mean obviously I wish it had been under different circumstances but I'm glad everything worked out."

"I had a good time too Jen," Gibbs said, "but next time we go out maybe we can pick somewhere a little closer to home."

Jenny laughed at Gibbs attempt at a joke and playfully hit his chest. Gibbs grabbed Jenny's hand and held it against his chest. He looked into Jenny's eyes making her slightly uncomfortable. Gibbs had a way of making you believe he could see beyond the surface and read your innermost thoughts. Jenny knew that was part of what made him such a good agent but when he used it on her it often made her squirm.

Gibbs' gaze moved from Jenny's eyes to her lips as he moved closer to her. He tilted his head down towards hers, still studying her. Jenny tilted her head up to Gibbs and slowly closed her eyes. Gibbs closed his eyes and pressed his lips to Jenny's, lightly at first, until he remembered how easy it was to be with her. He moved his hands up her back and cradled her head as he kissed her.

"Oooo! Daddy is kissing a girl," Grace sang from the stairs.

Gibbs smiled against Jenny's lips before pulling away and chasing Grace up the stairs. Grace screamed as Gibbs chased her into the living room. She jumped onto the couch and curled up into a ball. Gibbs tickled her sides causing her to squirm all over the couch. He caught her before she fell and sat down with her laying in his lap, laughing. Jenny stood in the entryway to the living room and watched Grace giggle while Gibbs stared adoringly at her. Gibbs smiled at Jenny and patted the couch next to him.

"Why don't you go put your jammies on Sweet Pea," Gibbs said. "Then I'll read you a bedtime story."

"I wanna stay up with you Daddy," Grace said in the middle of a big yawn.

"It's bedtime," Gibbs said. "I don't want a grumpy Gracie tomorrow." He stood Grace on the floor and patted her butt gently to get her moving.

"I should get going Jethro," Jenny said after Grace had disappeared upstairs.

"Are you sure?" Gibbs asked.

Jenny second guessed her decision before answering. "Yes, I'm sure."

Gibbs helped Jenny with her jacket. He leaned in and kissed her cheek, then her lips as they stood in front of the door. "Do you want to go do something tomorrow night?" he offered. "Abs can watch Gracie."

Jenny smiled. "What did you have in mind?"

Gibbs thought for a moment. "I guess it'll have to be a surprise," he said slyly.

Jenny laughed. "I'm not sure I like the sound of that," she teased.

"Pick you up at 1800?" Gibbs asked. Jenny nodded and leaned in for one more kiss before disappearing into the night.

* * *

><p>Abby arrived at Gibbs' house at 5:00 the following evening with McGee. Tony and Ziva weren't far behind. When she left the previous morning Abby called Tony and Ziva to tell them Gibbs was home with Grace and after she'd gotten the phone call to babysit they all decided to come over and hang out with Grace while Gibbs was out.<p>

Gibbs hurried down the stairs and found Grace sitting in Abby's lap on the couch. He tucked his blue polo into his jeans and fastened his belt. "Ok, I just ordered a couple pizzas, there's money next to the phone," he said pointing in that direction. "Call my cell if you have any problems." Gibbs checked his back pocket for his wallet and clipped his cell phone to his belt.

"We'll be fine," Abby reassured him.

"Don't forget she's allergic to peanuts," Gibbs reminded them. "Her epi-pen is—"

"Is in the medicine cabinet in the downstairs bathroom," Abby interrupted. "We'll be fine Gibbs. Go, have fun, don't worry about us."

Gibbs looked at his four agents sitting around his living room and knew Abby was right. He had full confidence in them to take care of Grace but he couldn't help but worry a little. He lifted Grace out of Abby's lap and gave her a hug and kissed her forehead.

"Bye Gracie," he said as he put her back in Abby's lap. "I love you."

"I love you too Daddy!" Grace said.

Gibbs paused at the entryway to glance around the living room one last time. "Have fun you guys," he said before hurrying out to his car.

"I didn't think Boss was ever going to leave," Tony said.

"Probably because you are here," Ziva teased. "He knows what you are capable of."

The doorbell rang before Tony could come up with a comeback. He hopped up, grabbed the money and traded the pizza man the cash for the food. "Dinner!" he called, walking into the kitchen. Tony was pleased to find Gibbs had ordered his favorite pizza. He put a piece of cheese pizza on a plate for Grace while Tim poured some Kool-Aid into a sippy cup for her to take in the living room. After Grace was situated the four agents filled their plates and joined Grace to watch TV while they ate.

* * *

><p>Gibbs arrived at Jenny's house five minutes early. He was greeted at the door by Noemi. He walked in just in time to see Jenny descending the stairs. At Gibbs' request for her to dress casual she had chosen a button up the front emerald green top and blue jeans.<p>

"You look beautiful Jen," Gibbs said as he greeted her at the bottom of the stairs.

"Thank you Jethro," Jenny said blushing slightly. "You don't look too bad yourself."

Gibbs kissed her cheek before helping her with her jacket. He extended his arm to her and led her out to his car. "Where are we going?" Jenny asked as Gibbs opened the car door for her.

"I already told you," Gibbs said. He leaned down and looked in the car at her, "it's a surprise."

* * *

><p>"What do you guys want to do?" Abby asked as they finished up dinner. "I don't want to just watch TV all night."<p>

"What's wrong with that?" Tony asked.

"We could take Grace somewhere," McGee suggested.

Tony shook his head. "That won't work. Gibbs didn't leave her booster seat."

"I know!" Ziva said. "When I was little we used to build forts in the living room with sheets and blankets."

"That sounds like fun," Abby said, "but who's going to go through Gibbs' closets to find the extra bedding?" They all stared at each then Ziva, Abby and Tim all looked at Tony.

"Whoa! Come on guys," Tony said holding his hands up in defense.

"What's wrong Tony? You're always going through my stuff," Tim pointed out.

"And you are always reminding us how good of an investigator it makes you," Ziva added.

"Hey Grace," Tony said. "Do you know where the linen closet is?" Grace stared blankly at Tony. "Where your dad keeps the extra sheets?" Grace shrugged her shoulders as Abby wiped the pizza sauce off her face with a damp cloth.

Ziva laughed. "Looks like you're on your own Tony."

"I wonder if Gibbs is watching us on one of those nanny cams," Abby teased as Tony headed for the stairs.

Tony stopped and thought for a moment. "Gibbs can barely work his cell phone; he wouldn't know what to do with a nanny cam." He continued to the stairs. "Gibbs is going to kill me," he mumbled.

* * *

><p>After a dinner filled with conversation about the past and all the good memories they shared Gibbs took Jenny to a putt-putt golf course. She was thrilled at Gibbs' surprise. There was something about being out under the dark, night sky on a brightly lit course filled with vibrant colors and fun scenery. Jenny held onto Gibbs arm while he paid for their equipment.<p>

"You go first," Gibbs said at the first hole.

"I'm really bad at this Jethro," Jenny chuckled.

"That's ok," Gibbs said. "Not like we're on a league or anything. It's just us." Gibbs put her ball on the marked spot on the ground and helped her position her hands on the club properly. "Figure out where you want the ball to go and focus on how to get it there," he instructed.

Jenny hit the ball hard enough to get it through the obstacle but it stopped short of the hole. "That was good!" Gibbs complimented.

"Thank you," Jenny said, satisfied with her first shot. Gibbs first stroke put his ball through the obstacle and right on the other side of the hole. "Nice," Jenny said. Each got their ball in the hole on the next stroke.

By the time they made it to the end of the course Jenny had gotten the hang of it and her more competitive nature was showing through. Both were doing well but Gibbs was beating Jenny by a few strokes. Jenny had tried her hardest to catch up with him but Gibbs was better at putt-putt than she was and remained in the lead.

After they'd finished golfing Gibbs took Jenny to his favorite coffee shop and bought her a hot chocolate. The night air was a bit too cool for ice cream so Gibbs figured that was the next best thing. They sat outside on the patio and looked up at the stars while they drank.

"I had a very nice time tonight Jethro," Jenny said.

Gibbs smiled at Jenny. "I'm glad," he said, "I did too."

"So," Jenny hesitated, "are you going to tell your team about us?"

Gibbs laughed. "I'm sure they've already figured it out by now," he said. "They're all babysitting Gracie. I'm guessing the subject has come up."

"All of them are over at your house?" Jenny asked somewhat surprised.

Gibbs nodded after taking another drink. "They're over all the time Jen," he said. "Lonely, scared, bored, whatever, at least one of them shows up."

"It's almost like they're your kids too," Jenny pointed out.

"They know my door is always open if they ever need anything," Gibbs said.

By the time they finished their hot chocolate it was getting late. Gibbs took Jenny home, walked her to her door and kissed her good night. Jenny wanted more but remembered Gibbs saying he didn't want to rush into anything so she didn't push him. She knew better. She just hoped her patience wouldn't wear out before Gibbs decided to take it to the next level.

When Gibbs pulled into his driveway he could see the flasing blue light of the TV in his otherwise dark house. He quietly opened the front door and flipped the entryway light on. He could see sheets and blankets covering his living room.

"Hi Gibbs," Ziva said quietly. Gibbs wasn't sure where she came from.

"Hi Ziva," he said. "What's going on? Did you guys have fun?"

"We all had great fun," Ziva said smiling. "We made a fort in your living room and then made up stories for Grace. After that we played hide and seek then put a movie in for her until it was bedtime. Abby put her to sleep in her own bed but she would not stay up there. I am sorry Gibbs."

"It's ok," Gibbs said. "She usually comes back downstairs after I put her to bed too. Jenny thinks she doesn't like to be alone."

Ziva smiled when she heard Gibbs mention Jenny. After Grace had gone to bed she, Tony, Tim and Abby had spent a big part of the evening wondering what the two were doing. "Well she is sleeping under the fort with Tony, Abby and McGee," Ziva said.

"Why aren't you asleep?" Gibbs asked.

"I did not want Grace to be scared if she woke up," Ziva said. "I just wanted to make sure everything was ok."

Gibbs smiled. He knew Ziva's experience with children was limited and appreciated her taking every precaution. "Go to bed Ziver," he said. "You can sleep in Gracie's room if you want."

"I have a place next to Tony in the fort," Ziva said. "Nobody else wanted to sleep next to him. Big surprise."

"Good night," Gibbs said.

"Good night Gibbs," Ziva said.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Monday turned into a long day of being stuck at NCIS without a case. The team spent the day catching up on old case reports and other paperwork that had been neglected. Lunch prompted an argument over who got to escape the office long enough to bring back food until Gibbs sent them all out together.

By Monday evening Tony was having a difficult time focusing on his work so he'd decided to entertain Grace. She was sitting on his lap facing him, laughing as he did impressions of different actors. Each time she poked his stomach he did a different impression. Grace didn't mind that she had no idea who Tony was imitating; she was simply enjoying the goofy voices.

While Tony was entertaining Grace, Gibbs disappeared up to MTAC by request from Director Shepard. He originally thought it was a social call but quickly learned it was something more serious.

"What's up Jen?" Gibbs asked. He took a seat next to her in the front row. Jenny handed him a copy of the Hawaii Tribune.

"I didn't bring my glasses," Gibbs said as he strained his eyes to see the small newsprint. Jenny removed her glasses from the top of her head and handed them to Gibbs. "Retired Army Vet gunned down in her Lanai driveway," Gibbs read. He felt his heart jump to his throat as he quickly skimmed the article.

"She's alive Jethro," Jenny said. "Army CID is investigating. Coronel Mann was flown to the Naval Hospital in Pearl Harbor. It's a top notch facility."

"What happened?" Gibbs asked. "This makes it sound like she's dead."

"I guess they wanted whoever shot her to think they killed her," Jenny answered. "I just talked to NCIS Pearl, she is alive. They're cautiously optimistic she'll make a full recovery."

"Is it related to one of the cases she worked?" Gibbs asked as he handed Jenny's glasses back.

"They aren't sure yet, but probably. With the article on her retirement published in the newspaper it wouldn't be hard to track her down. Lanai isn't a very big island. Army CID is working around the clock."

Gibbs closed the newspaper and sat staring at the screen in front of him while he thought back to the short time he'd known Hollis. He'd liked her initiative and the way she went after what she wanted but in the end she wanted more from him than he was prepared to give her. She understood that and decided to move on after she retired.

"Did you want some time to go down there?" Jenny asked, interrupting Gibbs thoughts.

"What?" Gibbs asked. "No, I uh, there's really no reason for me to go down there." He could feel Jenny's eyes staring right through him. "Jen, Hol' and I were only together for a short time. I'm sorry this happened to her and I'm glad she's going to be ok but I don't see the need to fly down to Hawaii to be by her bedside."

"Ok," Jenny said, satisfied with his answer. "I just wanted to offer." There had definitely been tension when Mann had been partnered with NCIS. Jenny was certainly jealous of the relationship she'd shared with Gibbs. She felt a responsibility to give Gibbs the news. She knew he would want to know but she was a little relieved to learn he didn't plan on rushing down to be with her.

"Anything else?" Gibbs asked all business.

Jenny shook her head. "Hey," she said. She grabbed his arm as he got up to leave and he sat back down and looked at her. "I didn't mean to upset you," she said gently.

"I'm not upset Jen," Gibbs said. "It's just a lot to take in."

"I'm sorry Jethro," Jenny said touching his arm. "NCIS Pearl is going to keep me informed, they're helping Army CID with the investigation. As soon as I hear something I'll let you know."

"Thanks Jen," Gibbs said. He glanced over at the two techs in the room and when he was satisfied that they were engrossed in whatever they were doing on the computer he leaned over and kissed Jenny's cheek. "I think I'm going to call it a day," he told her.

"Good night Jethro," Jenny smiled at him.

"Night," Gibbs said as he stood and headed for the door.

When he got back to the bullpen he found Ziva looking over Tim's shoulder at something on the computer and Tony reclined back, sleeping in his chair with Grace fast asleep on his chest.

"It's late," Gibbs said to Tim and Ziva. "You two go home and get some rest."

Gibbs walked over and stood next to Tony. "Tony," he said. "DiNozzo," he repeated louder after getting no response the first time.

Tony jumped. "I'm awake Boss! I'm up."

"Go home, get some rest. I'll see you guys in the morning."

Tony hugged Grace as Gibbs leaned in to take her. "Aw, Boss, I never get to hold her. McGreedy over there always has her."

Gibbs smiled as he took Grace from Tony. "She's not going anywhere DiNozzo. You'll have plenty of opportunities to spend time with her."

Gibbs gathered his and Grace's things and headed out to his car. Grace woke up as Gibbs was buckling her into her booster seat.

"Daddy," she whined. "I'm hungry. Can I have some ice cream?"

"I don't think we have any ice cream Sweet Pea," Gibbs said, "but you can have some cookies when we get home if you want."

"Chocolate chip cookies?" Grace asked.

"Uh-huh," Gibbs said. He kissed her cheek once he had her seatbelt fastened then went around and got into the driver's seat.

After they arrived home Gibbs sat Grace down at the table with a couple cookies and a glass of milk. After her snack he bathed her and helped her brush her teeth before reading her a bedtime story. Once he was sure she was asleep he headed for the basement. He was deep in thought about Hollis Mann when he heard heavy footsteps on the basement stairs.

"I heard you got yourself a kid," the man said.

Gibbs looked up and smiled. "You heard right Tobias, my niece."

"I'm sorry about your sister Jethro," Fornell said. "I know you did everything you could."

Gibbs nodded, "Linda made her own decisions. She wouldn't accept anymore help."

"So, how are you holding up?" Fornell asked. He pulled the bourbon off the top shelf and found an empty container to pour some into.

"You know," Gibbs said. "Same old, same old."

Fornell laughed as he choked down a sip of the bourbon. "I don't believe that for a minute," he said. "Kids change everything."

The pitter patter of little feet drew both men's attention to stairs. They watched silently as Grace sleepily made her way down the stairs and crawled under the boat. Once she had curled up Gibbs pulled out his sanding block and sandpaper. "She likes to sleep down here while I'm working on the boat," he explained quietly. "She'll go right back to sleep."

Fornell smiled and sat down on one of the sawhorses Gibbs had in his basement.

"So, did you just come to chat or is there something on your mind Tobias?" Gibbs asked as he sanded the boat.

Fornell glanced at Grace to make sure she had gone back to sleep. "Lieutenant Colonel Hollis Mann," Fornell said as he watched Gibbs for a reaction.

"Jen already told me," Gibbs said calmly. He blew the sawdust away from the area he was sanding. "Why is the FBI involved?"

"We're chasing a serial killer Jethro," Fornell said. Gibbs stopped sanding, poured some bourbon into his cup and sat on the sawhorse across from Fornell. "Former Staff Sergeant Jeremy Baxter was convicted of a class 3 felony sexual assault for the rape of a 19 year old college student when he was on leave nine years ago. He was recently paroled and has taken on a revenge mission."

"Hollis?" Gibbs asked.

"Mann was the lead investigator; she's the one who arrested him. So far Baxter's tracked down and killed two of the five witnesses, one in Pennsylvania and one in Oklahoma, before going to Hawaii and putting two bullets into the colonel. Two civilian witnesses in two different states tends to get the FBI's attention."

"What about the other three witnesses?" Gibbs asked.

"They're all in protective custody," Fornell said. "It's only a matter of time before we catch up with Baxter. I know you and the colonel were tight so I wanted to give you a heads up. It's being reported that she was murdered so Baxter doesn't try to finish her off."

Gibbs finished the last of his bourbon before returning to his boat.

"You ok Jethro?" Fornell asked.

"Fine," Gibbs answered. "Just have a lot on my mind Tobias."

"Were you still seeing Hollis?" Fornell asked, prying.

Gibbs shook his head. "Not since she retired," he said quietly.

"So what's on your mind? What's bothering you?" Fornell asked. "I mean besides the obvious."

Gibbs looked at Fornell and sighed. They had a unique relationship but Gibbs did trust him and consider him a friend. He threw his sanding block back on his work table and sat on the sawhorse again. "Jen and I are back together," Gibbs said.

Fornell couldn't tell how Gibbs felt about it. "Are you going for ex-wife number four?" he asked.

"Hope not," Gibbs said. "I told her I didn't want to rush into anything but I've got Gracie to think about now."

"Being a single parent isn't easy," Fornell said.

Gibbs felt a little hand on his knee. "Daddy," Grace muttered. She stretched her arms out. Gibbs lifted her up and cradled her in his arms. He gently rocked her back and forth.

"You know what to do Jethro," Fornell said confidently.

"I don't know Tobias," Gibbs said. "At work, on the job, I always know what to do. When it comes to women, I'm lost."

"You can always asked DiNozzo for advice," Fornell teased. Gibbs glared at him. "No, seriously, just follow your gut and stop looking for another Shannon, Jethro. No woman will measure up to her." Fornell had long suspected Gibbs' last three marriages failed because none of the women measured up to Shannon. "Let Jenny be Jenny and trust your gut. It's usually spot on."

Gibbs felt a little anger start to rise at the mention of his dead wife but even more than that he felt a sting of pain at the truthful words coming out of Fornell's mouth. Shannon was irreplaceable, yet Gibbs had spent years trying to fill the void she'd left. No one was as special as she was and she would always hold a piece of Gibbs' heart. His last three marriages had been strained for many reasons but the root of it all stemmed from none of the women being able to take Shannon's place. Gibbs started to realize that just because he loved another woman didn't mean he loved Shannon any less, he wasn't betraying her. Maybe if he loved Jenny for who she was instead of faulting her for who she wasn't, maybe it would work.

Gibbs looked down at the small child cradled in his arms. She was once again sleeping peacefully. He gently pulled her thumb out of her mouth, wiped the drool from the corner of her lips and kissed her cheek. Talking to Fornell and breathing in the sawdust clouded air seemed to be clearing things up for Gibbs. Suddenly he was able to connect the dots, not only of his three unsuccessful marriages but also the reason it never seemed to work out with any of the women he dated. All that time he had been looking for another Shannon, trying to fill the empty space inside of him with a carbon copy of the woman he had loved and lost. Fornell was right, he needed to love Jenny for who she was and not expect her to be someone else.

"What time is it?" Gibbs asked.

Fornell glanced down at his watch. "Going on 11:30."

Gibbs carefully stood still cradling Grace. "I've got to go," he said as he climbed the basement steps. He went to Grace's room and grabbed her blanket and the stuffed animal she slept with. He wrapped her tightly before taking her into the cool night air. After buckling her into her booster seat he backed out of his driveway and raced off down the street.

* * *

><p>It hadn't been more than 15 minutes since Jenny turned her bedroom light out. She was startled when she heard to lock on her front door turn. Fear rose in her chest as she reached for her sidearm on the nightstand. She listened carefully to the footsteps coming up the stairs. Very few people had a key to her house and most of them had just left hours earlier after all the housework had been completed.<p>

She quietly climbed out of bed, her heart pumping harder and harder as she moved towards the bedroom door. She opened it a crack and saw Gibbs disappear into the guest room down the hall. She breathed a sigh of relief and uncocked her gun. She quietly slipped back into bed and waited for Gibbs to come in after he'd put Grace down in the guest room.

Gibbs opened the door to Jenny's room slowly and removed his jacket.

"I almost shot you," Jenny said. She turned on the lamp on her nightstand and watched as Gibbs removed his shoes.

"I guess it's my lucky day," Gibbs said. After he'd removed his jacket and shoes he propped himself up in bed next to Jenny. He reached over and turned the light off before wrapping his arm around her and pulling her close to him.

"You're cold!" Jenny shivered. Gibbs ran his hands up and down her arms, letting the friction warm her. "Is everything ok?" she asked. She was more than pleased to have Gibbs in her bed. Ever since they'd shared a bed in Texas hers suddenly felt empty without him but she couldn't imagine why he was paying her a late night visit.

"Everything's fine," Gibbs said. He stopped rubbing her arms and wrapped his arms around her, letting her body rest against him. Gibbs kissed the side of Jenny's head, then her temple, and cheek. Jenny turned her head and let their lips meet. She had no idea what Gibbs was up to or where this would lead but she had known for a long time that she wanted Gibbs back, all of him.

"Tobias paid me a visit tonight," Gibbs said after they'd broken the kiss. He ran his fingers through her long red hair. "He helped me realize some things."

Jenny cuddled into Gibbs chest, enjoying the attention. "Like what?" she asked, assuming it was safe since he'd brought the topic up.

Gibbs kissed the top of Jenny's head as his strong fingers weaved through her locks. "I've had unrealistic expectations. I haven't let go of the past, haven't moved on." He planted two more kisses on the top of her head and weaved his fingers with hers as he continued to stroke her hair with the opposite hand. "I'm ready to move on now Jen."

Gibbs had just confirmed Jenny's suspicions. He was still holding onto the past. He was having a difficult time letting go. Gibbs' closest friends understood what was going on for a long time but Gibbs hadn't been able to see it. "Are you sure Jethro?" Jenny asked quietly.

Gibbs slid down so he was lying in the bed, gently easing Jenny down with him. "I'm sure Jen," he whispered. He hovered closely over Jenny's face. The moonlight shining through the window reflected in her green eyes. Gibbs studied her eyes, then her lips. He slowly eased his head down until their lips met. He closed his eyes and opened his mouth. He let his tongue brush lightly against her lips. Jenny gladly parted her lips and allowed him access. Their tongues met, cautious at first, almost like a first kiss. They had shared many passionate nights in Europe but this was different. Gibbs was different. He was kissing Jenny now. He was no longer searching for Shannon's ghost.

Jenny ran her fingers through Gibbs' short hair while her other hand rested comfortably on his chest. When neither could breathe anymore Gibbs broke the kiss. "Is this ok?" he mumbled as his lips explored the sensitive skin behind her ear and down the side of her neck.

Jenny let out a satisfied moan as she arched her head to the side, giving him easier access. His hot breath against her skin was driving her crazy. Gibbs rolled over on top of her and let their lips meet once again.

"Jethro," Jenny moaned in between kisses, "it's been a long time since I've done this."

Gibbs smiled and pecked her lips with his. "I'll be gentle," he promised.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: I decided to end the chapter there since this story is rated T. <em>;-)  
><em>I hope everyone is enjoying this and I really, really appreciate all of you for reading and reviewing! You guys are the best <em>=)


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Gibbs woke sharply the next morning to the sound of Grace crying. She had awakened in an unfamiliar room and didn't know where to find her Dad. Gibbs raced down the hall and into the guest room and scooped her up.

"Daddy!" Grace cried into his shoulder as she held onto him tightly.

"It's ok Sweet Pea," Gibbs said. "I'm right here."

Grace clutched Gibbs' neck as he held her close to him. Her crying slowed as Gibbs gently rubbed her back. Once she had calmed down he took her back into the master bedroom and propped himself up against the headboard of the bed. Jenny yawned and stretched, reaching out for Gibbs. Gibbs rested his hand on her back so she knew he hadn't disappeared in the night.

"What time is it?" Jenny moaned. She rolled over and saw Grace resting peacefully on Gibbs lap, sucking her thumb.

"Almost 0600," Gibbs said.

"Noemi will be here soon if you want to duck out before she sees you," Jenny offered.

"I'm not hiding anything," Gibbs said.

"So you don't regret last night?" Jenny asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"Nope," Gibbs said. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face and stared into her eyes. She could see the sincerity and felt a huge sense of relief. She had been worried he would regret their night of passion and disappear before she woke. "Come here," he said, motioning for Jenny to move closer to him. Grace was half asleep on his lap and he didn't want to disturb her. Jenny leaned up and kissed Gibbs before cuddling into his side.

"We're going to have to get up soon or we'll be late," Jenny said reluctantly. "Do you need to run by your house before work?"

"Uh-uh," Gibbs muttered. "I keep a go bag in the car; I have everything I need in there."

Jenny pulled Gibbs' arm tighter around her and sank deeper into his warm embrace. "If I didn't have so many meetings today we could call in."

Gibbs laughed. "I don't think so," he said. "Go get a shower, I'll get Gracie dressed."

Jenny forced herself to leave the comfort of Gibbs' arms and slowly walked over to the bathroom. Gibbs smiled as he watched the door close behind her. It was a good morning. He felt confident about his decision to come over last night. He didn't regret anything. He was happy and pleased with himself. There was a hint of fear making itself known in the back of his mind but he was doing his best to ignore it.

While Jenny showered Gibbs got Grace dressed. Then he sat in bed with her and sang her a song until Jenny returned. He made a mental note to pack a book and maybe a toy or two in her bag. Jenny took Grace while Gibbs took his turn in the shower. When he was finished he came out to an empty room. After he was dressed and ready to go he headed downstairs and found Grace sitting at the kitchen island with Jenny eating eggs.

"Oh, Hola Señor Gibbs," Noemi said. The surprise in her voice didn't escape Gibbs' attention. "Can I make some breakfast for you this morning?"

"Just coffee would be great," Gibbs said. He sat down on the other side of Grace and watched her eat her eggs. Gibbs glanced over at Jenny and she winked at him. Without being arrogant he felt somewhat responsible for the radiant glow that seemed to be surrounding her.

* * *

><p>"Admit it McCreepy!" Tony demanded. "You put that dead spider on my desk!"<p>

"For the last time Tony. It. Wasn't. Me." McGee insisted.

Ziva sat at her desk laughing, enjoying the show. The laughter caused Tony to turn his attention to her. "It was you, wasn't it?" he asked suspiciously as he walked over to Ziva's desk. "And now you can't keep a straight face."

"If it were me then I would not have chosen that tiny spider Tony," Ziva said, still laughing.

"That spider is not tiny!" Tony said. "That thing is freaking huge!"

Just then the elevator dinged and Tony saw Gibbs and Jenny get out together. Tony watched them for a moment and quickly figured out something was going on between the two of them by the way they were acting. He cleared his throat and motioned for Ziva and Tim to check it out.

"You think they spent the night together?" Tony asked quietly.

"Gibbs and the director?" McGee whispered. "I doubt it, what about rule number twelve?"

"Rules or not Gibbs is still a man and Jenny is still a woman," Ziva said. "They both have physical needs."

"Maybe since they were shacking up in Paris it's like a grandfather clause or something," Tony speculated.

"Gibbs and Jenny met their grandfather's in Paris?" Ziva asked, completely lost.

"No," Tony said, "it exempts you from certain rules if you were already doing whatever it is you were doing before that rule came into play."

"So, if Gibbs and Jenny were seeing each other before Gibbs made rule number twelve then it would be ok?" Ziva asked. Tony nodded still studying his boss and the director.

"There's only one problem with that," Tim said. "Gibbs already had all his rules before Paris."

"Oh yah," Tony said before feeling a sharp smack to the back of his head.

"Thank you Boss!" Tony grunted as he rubbed the back of his head and walked over to his desk.

"Gossip on your own time," Gibbs said.

"Hi Guys!" Abby said as she rounded the corner into the bullpen.

"What's up Abs?" Gibbs asked.

Abby shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing really. The lab is all clean and sparkly waiting for you guys bring me some evidence to process."

Gibbs, Abby, Ziva, and Tim all watched as Tony put his trashcan in his desk chair and then went around to the other side of his desk and started blowing something towards it. Tony paused when he realized everyone was looking at him. "What?" he asked. "Somebody left a tarantula on my desk."

Gibbs smirked at Abby who was standing innocently in front of his desk.

"It was you!" Tony exclaimed pointing a finger at her.

"It's not as big as a rat but you know, you take what you can get," Abby said proudly. "You know what they say about payback Tony." She had patiently waited to get him back for planting the fake rat in her lab and scaring her.

"Nicely played Abs," Tony congratulated her. "Where did you get that thing? The Amazon?"

"It's not that big Tony," Abby said as she brushed the spider into his trash, "and it's not a tarantula."

"Whatever," Tony said. "It's creepy. I don't like spiders."

"I know," Abby said.

Gibbs cell phone rang, momentarily distracting them.

"Hey Abs," Tony whispered while Gibbs was on the phone. "You know anything about Gibbs and the director arriving at work together this morning?"

"Grab your gear!" Gibbs commanded before Abby had a chance to respond. "Abs, do you mind?" he asked, nodding towards Grace.

"Not at all!" Abby said excitedly. Gibbs said goodbye to Grace and Abby and gave them each a kiss before he left.

* * *

><p>After they'd processed the scene of the double murder the team returned to NCIS headquarters. McGee got right to work on his computer and Ziva started immediately making calls. Tony offered to take the evidence to Abby's lab.<p>

"Oh Tony! I love you!" Abby said. As soon as he set the evidence down on her table she gave him a big hug. "Grace and I have been bored out of our minds. Now we finally have some evidence to process." Abby started happily pulling out evidence bags and inspecting the gifts the team had collected for her. "It's been so long since I've touched a piece of evidence I'm not even sure I remember how to do it!" she joked.

"You're welcome Abs," Tony said. "So, are we even, you know, with the rats and spiders and stuff."

"Sure Tony," Abby said smiling.

"So Grace," Tony said, "did anybody sleep over at your house last night?"

Grace looked up from the paper she was drawing on and thought for a moment. "No, but me and Daddy sleeped over at the lady's house."

Tony looked at Abby and smiled from ear to ear. "What lady Honey?" Abby asked.

"The lady that Daddy kisses on the lips," Grace said quietly as if it were a secret.

"Oh!" Tony said patting Abby's arm excitedly. "It's got to be Jenny, I mean, who else could it be? Right?"

"That sounds like fun! I like sleepovers." Abby said, trying to remain inconspicuous in her questioning of the four year old. "Does the lady work here?"

Grace nodded her head. "She works in the big office all the way upstairs."

"I told you something was going on between the two of them!" Tony said. "I knew it!"

"Knew what DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.

"Um, I was just telling Abby that…" Tony frantically searched his mind for something to satisfy Gibbs.

"Spit it out DiNozzo!" Gibbs said.

"Ziva's going to teach me how to play the piano!" Tony regretted it almost as soon as he said it. It wasn't one of his better cover stories.

"Piano lessons are going to have to wait," Gibbs said. "We've got a double homicide to deal with first."

"Right! On it Boss!" Tony said as he hurried out of the lab. He wanted to be sure to beat Gibbs back to the bullpen so he could fill Tim and Ziva in on what Grace had told him and Abby.

Gibbs handed Abby a Caf-Pow and looked over Grace's shoulder at the picture she was working on.

"All this evidence and a Caf-Pow?" Abby asked. "I don't have any results for you yet Gibbs. Tony only just gave me the evidence." Gibbs didn't usually reward her with a Caf-Pow until after she had results for him.

"I know," Gibbs smiled at her. "I thought it might speed up the process."

"You already have a theory," Abby said, more of a question than a statement.

Gibbs smiled at her. "Something just seems off," he said. "Murder weapon was found close to the body, no obvious evidence of anyone else in the house. This is either a murder suicide…"

"Or we are dealing with someone who really knows what they're doing!" Abby finished Gibbs' sentence.

"You got it," Gibbs said, kissing her cheek.

* * *

><p>Their progress on the case throughout the day was slow. All of their evidence seemed to be pointing towards a murder suicide but Gibbs' gut told him there was more to the case. When Gibbs realized they weren't going to get any further that day he sent everyone home. Before he left he went up to Jenny's office and it didn't take much for him to persuade her to come home with him for the evening.<p>

Gibbs grilled steaks and potatoes in his fireplace for dinner. After they ate they gave Grace a bath and then sat down to watch a movie. Jenny had just finished popping popcorn and settled in next to Gibbs with his arm comfortably wrapped around her when they heard the front door open.

"Hi Boss," Tony said, not in his normal perky tone. He walked into the living room and slumped down into the recliner. "Is it movie night? What are we watching?" The TV had sparked some excitement.

"Madagascar," Jenny answered, realizing Gibbs wouldn't know.

"Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, they got a pretty good cast for this one," Tony said.

"No date tonight Tony?" Gibbs asked.

Tony shook his head. "I can't seem to break the spell. I'm off my game. I have no idea what's going on."

"Give it time," Gibbs said, "it'll pass."

Tony looked over at Grace nestled snugly on Gibbs lap. "Psst, Gracie, want to come sit with me?" he asked, hopefully.

Grace looked up at Gibbs for direction. Gibbs knew his senior field agent could use some cheering up. He also knew Grace had an almost magical way of brightening your mood in just about any situation. "Go on," Gibbs encouraged her, "I'll be right here, I'm not going anywhere."

Grace let Gibbs give her a kiss on the cheek and returned the gesture before climbing off Gibbs lap and onto Tony's. Just as Gibbs had predicted, Grace had Tony smiling in no time. Jenny went to the kitchen and made another batch of popcorn for Tony and Grace to share and they all watched the movie. About halfway through the movie Tony started snoring. Grace cocked her head at Gibbs and started giggling quietly.

"Rub his tummy," Gibbs whispered. "Be gentle."

Grace looked at Tony cautiously before following Gibbs instructions. Tony's snoring stopped and everyone turned their attention back to the TV. By the time the movie was over Grace was sound asleep on top of Tony.

"That's a Kodak moment if I ever saw one Jethro," Jenny said quietly. "Do you have a camera?"

"As a matter of fact I do," Gibbs said proudly. He disappeared from the living room and returned a few moments later with a camera.

"Wow, a digital camera," Jenny said completely surprised.

Gibbs handed it to her. "Abby got it for me."

Jenny smiled. "Do you know how to use it?" she asked.

"Sure," Gibbs said. "I know how to take the memory doo-dah out." He skillfully removed the memory card, obviously very proud of himself.

"Do you know how to take a picture?" Jenny asked.

Gibbs put the memory card back in the camera then looked it over. He flipped it around and studied each side while Jenny watched him intently. "I haven't gotten that far yet," Gibbs finally said as he handed the camera back to her.

"Baby steps," Jenny grinned. She took the camera and snapped a few photos of Tony and Grace. "They grow up really fast Jethro. You really should learn how to use that thing." She handed the camera back to Gibbs and smiled at him.

Gibbs set the camera on the end table and pulled Jenny into his lap causing her to squeal. She quickly clamped her hand over her mouth and looked over to see if Tony or Grace had stirred.

"They're both sound sleepers," Gibbs said. Jenny relaxed back against Gibbs and rested her head against his shoulder, enjoying the closeness. Gibbs wrapped an arm around her waist. He was enjoying breathing in her unique scent when she spoke.

"I'm getting tired Jethro."

"We can go to bed," Gibbs told her.

"You don't go to bed until the wee hours of the morning."

Gibbs shrugged his shoulders. "People change."

Jenny turned her head enough to look at him and grinned. Gibbs smiled and pressed his lips to hers.

"Go on, go upstairs," he said softly. "I'll be up in a minute." Gibbs helped Jenny off his lap and waited for her to go upstairs. He sat on the couch and watched Tony and Grace sleep for a moment longer. Images of Shannon and Kelly flashed through his mind. He tried to remember what they smelled like, what they felt like. He remembered waking up in the morning next to Shannon. He remembered Kelly sleeping on his chest late into the night while he relaxed in his chair, content to just hold his daughter and watch her sleep. Gibbs vowed to never forget them. Even though he knew it would be impossible for him to forget, he still made them that promise. _'Let Jenny be Jenny,'_ Fornell's words rang in his ears. He sighed and ran his hand down his face. He thought about Jenny, upstairs in his bed, waiting for him to settle in next to her. He reminded himself she wasn't a replacement and that he could love her without betraying Shannon.

Gibbs stood and grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch. He spread it out over Tony before carefully lifting Grace out from under it.

"Daddy," Grace quietly moaned.

"I'm here Sweet Pea," Gibbs whispered into her hair before placing a soft kiss against her head. Grace burrowed into Gibbs chest and went back to sleep as Gibbs locked his front door and carried her up to her room. He laid her in her bed and tucked her favorite stuffed animal under her arm before covering her with her blanket. After one last kiss on the forehead he pulled her door most of the way closed and went down the hall to his room where he found Jenny already sleeping peacefully.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: Something shocking happens in the next chapter… it even shocked me! =)<em>


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

_Author's Note: This chapter kind of came out of nowhere but I feel like it is realistic enough [at least in my mind] so I went with it! And don't worry—everything is going to be ok! I promise =)_

"I called your house last night. You did not answer," Ziva said as Tony parked the car.

"I wasn't home," Tony said, not offering up any more information. "Who are we interviewing again?"

"Cayden Foster. He is 18 and the son of Jason Foster who was shot yesterday." They got out of the car and started for the front door of the house in the quiet neighborhood. It was early in the afternoon and except for a couple cars driving down the street there was no activity.

"Were you with a girl?" Ziva pried.

Tony glanced over at her smirking. "Do I detect a little jealousy?"

"Ha! I would…" before Ziva could finish her sentence gunshots rang out. She instinctively pushed Tony behind a large bush in the yard. With gunshots still sounding Ziva looked towards the house. She could see a shattered window and the top of a man's head as he pointed the gun out the window and fired at them. When the man paused to reload Ziva popped up from behind the bush and put two rounds in the man's head, killing him instantly.

"Well that was crazy," Ziva said. She looked over at Tony and saw him lying on the ground clutching his abdomen, blood seeping through his fingers.

"Tony!" Ziva dropped to his side and inspected his injury. She put pressure on his wound as a DC Metro police officer arrived on scene.

"I was patrolling a couple streets over when I heard the gunshots," the officer told her.

"We need an ambulance!" Ziva demanded.

"Already on its way. Is it clear in there?"

Ziva could hear the sirens in the distance. "I do not know. We simply came here to question the son of a victim and he opened fire on us."

More cop cars were arriving on scene while Ziva's attention was focused solely on Tony. The DC Metro police cleared house and the ambulance was brought in.

"What is wrong with him?" Ziva asked the EMTs. "Is he going to be ok?" She watched them cut Tony's shirt open, attach an oxygen mask to his face and begin hooking their equipment up to his body.

"GSW to the chest," the paramedic said more to his partner than to Ziva. "We have a sucking chest wound, possible tension pneumothorax. We've got to load and go!"

"What does all that mean?" Ziva begged.

"He's going into shock!" one of the EMTs yelled. Ziva watched helplessly as they quickly loaded Tony onto the stretcher and into the back of the ambulance. She couldn't remember ever being so scared in her life.

"Ziva!" Gibbs called as he hurried through the doors of the emergency room.

"Gibbs, I do not know anything," Ziva said, clearly upset. "None of these people will talk to me!" she yelled in the direction if the receptionist.

Gibbs looked her over to see if she was injured. "Are you ok?" he asked as he held onto her arm and looked directly into her eyes.

"I am fine but Tony is not!" Ziva said.

Abby and Tim walked up behind Gibbs and Ziva. Abby gasped. "Oh my… is he…" she clamped her hand over her mouth refusing to say the words out loud; refusing to believe Tony was gone.

"You two, stay with her!" Gibbs instructed Tim and Abby.

As Tim, Abby and Ziva embraced in the waiting room, holding onto each other for support they heard Gibbs slam his hand on the counter and yell at the receptionist. None of the three of them spoke. There were no words to say. Gibbs was there to take care of everything. They knew he would find out what was going on and more importantly they knew he wouldn't let Tony die. He was more than their father; he was a hero to each of them.

"Come on, let's go," Gibbs said breaking up their huddle. "Tony's having emergency surgery; we can wait for him on the sixth floor." Gibbs led them over to the elevator and herded them in.

"Boss?" Tim asked as they were going up.

"That's all I know McGee," Gibbs said. The elevator dinged and opened to a much less chaotic scene than they had come from in the emergency room. The waiting room was much cozier. It was filled with warm colors, framed pictures, fake plants, and comfortable seating.

Gibbs checked in with the receptionist then called Ziva over to a private corner away from Tim and Abby. "What happened?" he asked gently.

"Tony and I went to question the boy like you told us. We were walking up the front path to the door when we heard gunshots. We took cover behind a bush, when the boy stopped to reload I shot him in the head, twice. I looked over at Tony and he was just lying there. It all happened so fast Gibbs. I do not know what happened next."

"Are you ok?" Gibbs asked her again. "Are you hurt at all."

"No," Ziva said. "I was not hit." She looked at Gibbs and he could see the tears building in her eyes.

"This wasn't your fault Ziver," Gibbs said. Ziva maintained eye contact with Gibbs for a brief moment before looking away. She didn't respond. She had no idea what to say. Tony was dying and it was all her fault. She was sure of it. "Come on," Gibbs said softly. "Everything will be ok." They two walked over to the waiting room where Tim was sitting watching Abby pace.

"Did they say how long he was going to be in surgery Gibbs?" Abby asked as she paced through the isle. "Did they tell you anything?"

Gibbs shook his head as he took a seat across from McGee. "Come here Abs," he said, patting the spot next to him on the two person seat he'd chosen. Abby stopped pacing and sat down next Gibbs. She curled her body under his protective arm and rested her head against his chest. Gibbs held her close him as he moved his thumb in comforting circles over her arm to calm her.

"Is he going to be ok Gibbs?" Abby asked quietly. She reached up and squeezed Gibbs' hand.

"He'll be ok," Gibbs said. He kissed the top of her head then rested his head on hers.

While they were waiting for news from the doctor Ducky and Palmer showed up.

"Have you heard anything Jethro?" Ducky asked.

Gibbs shook his head. "He's having emergency surgery. Haven't heard anything else."

"Anthony's a strong young man," Ducky said. "I'm sure he'll pull through."

"Any word on our shooter?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes, Bethesda faxed me over a copy of his medical records. Cayden Foster suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. My guess is he stopped taking his medication. I can confirm that during the autopsy."

After what seemed like endless hours of waiting for news, the surgeon finally came out to talk to the anxious group.

"Special Agent DiNozzo is going to be just fine," the doctor said, immediately easing everyone's fears. "The bullet pierced his liver; he lost a lot of blood. We had to remove part of his left lobe to control the bleeding but one of the amazing things about the liver is it will grow back. His liver is very healthy, within the next six months is should completely regenerate itself."

"Can we see him?" Ziva asked.

"He's still pretty out of it," the doctor said, "but you can go in a couple at a time. Just keep in mind he's not going to be making a lot of sense."

"He doesn't usually make sense when he's with it," Palmer joked trying to lighten the mood. Everyone turned and looked at him. "Sorry," he said.

Jenny arrived with Grace as the doctor was finishing up talking to everybody. Ziva, Tim, Abby and Jimmy went in to see Tony first while Gibbs spoke with Jenny and Ducky.

"I tracked down Cayden Foster's psychiatrist," Jenny said handing Grace to Gibbs. Gibbs gave Grace a big hug as he listened to Jenny. Somehow the stress of almost losing Tony seemed to ease with the precious child in his arms. "The psychiatrist told me Cayden recently found out his father was seeing another man and he didn't take it very well."

"Our second victim at the double homicide scene?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes. Cayden must have walked in on them, lost his cool, got his father's weapon and opened fire on them. I told her about Ducky's theory that the boy stopped taking his meds. His psychiatrist confirmed that if that was the case it wouldn't take long before paranoia set in."

"So when Tony and Ziva showed up to question him…"

"He was likely in a state of hyper-arousal when he opened fire on them," Jenny said, finishing Gibbs' sentence for him. Ducky relayed what the doctor had told them to Jenny while Grace sat on Gibbs' lap pretending to read a magazine.

"Why don't you take a break Jethro?" Jenny suggested. "You've been here all afternoon. Go home. Take Grace. I'll stay with Tony."

"Daddy, did somebody die?" Grace asked as she turned around on his lap to face him.

"Nobody died Gracie," Gibbs said. "Tony's just a little sick but he'll be ok."

"Can I see Tony?" Grace traced Gibbs eyebrows with her fingers, then his nose and lips. Gibbs took her hands in his and smiled at her.

"Not right now Sweet Pea," Gibbs said. "We're going to go home in a minute." He turned his attention back to Jenny. "I want to see him before I leave."

"I'll watch her while you're in there," Jenny said taking Grace back from him.

Gibbs walked into Tony's room and saw Ziva sitting by his bedside holding his hand. His skin was as pale as Gibbs had ever seen it and he was hooked up to several different machines. Gibbs stood next to Ziva and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Is he awake?" he asked. Ziva simply shook her head. "Give it time," he said.

Gibbs moved to the head of the bed and rested his hand on Tony's head. There was something about physical contact from Gibbs that affected Tony. His father wasn't the most affectionate person so Tony learned to treasure any affection he received. Gibbs was definitely a father figure in Tony's life. Tony longed to please him. Whenever he was rewarded with a compliment or any form of physical contact it brightened his day in a way that even he couldn't explain.

"You hang in there Tony," Gibbs said quietly. On his way to the door he stopped behind Ziva's chair, leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "My door is always open Ziva," he said. Ziva nodded her head and Gibbs squeezed her shoulder before exiting the room.

"I'll set up a rotation schedule with everybody, make sure they're not overdoing it," Jenny said as Gibbs took Grace from her.

"Thanks Jen," Gibbs said, "for everything." He leaned down and kissed her, not caring who was in the room to see.

"See!" Grace said. "I told you Daddy kisses her on the lips!" Tim and Abby smiled at Grace. Jimmy looked lost.

Gibbs looked around the waiting room at the guilty faces of his team members. He gently pinched Grace's nose and winked at Jenny.

Ziva sat at Tony's bedside and watched his face for any expression of pain or anything else he might be feeling. She carefully lifted the blanket off his chest and looked at the large white bandage hiding the incision from the surgery.

"I'm so sorry Tony," she whispered. She picked up his hand in hers carefully, not wanting to jostle him too much. "This is all my fault. I was teasing you about the girl when we should have been paying more attention. I should have known something was off, I should have sensed it." She felt Tony very softly squeeze her hand only for a second. She looked at his face but he still appeared to be out of it.

"Tony?" she whispered.

"Not. Your. Fault." Tony managed to get out, his throat dry and his voice raspy.

"Tony, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault. I wish I could have taken the bullet instead of you."

"Rule 6," Tony said. He opened his eyes just barely.

"I know," Ziva said, "Do not apologize; it is a sign of weakness but not between friends. Remember?" She watched as Tony closed his eyes and once again escaped into sleep.

"Ziva," called a voice from the door. Ziva looked up to see Director Shepard approaching Tony's bed. Everyone else had left the hospital after they took their turn visiting with Tony. "How is he?" Jenny could see the sweat forming on Tony's forehead. She went into the bathroom and returned with a cool damp washcloth.

"He woke for a moment, but he is sleeping again," Ziva said as Jenny dabbed the sweat off Tony's forehead.

"That's a good sign," Jenny said. "How are you holding up?"

"I am fine," Ziva said. "It is not me who was shot."

"I know," Jenny said, "but just because you weren't shot doesn't mean this isn't affecting you."

"I am fine Jenny, really," Ziva insisted.

"Why don't you go home? I'll stay with him tonight." Jenny suggested. "He's probably going to sleep most of the night anyways, you can come back tomorrow. I already sent McGee and Abby home. We can stay with him in shifts, that way someone is always here."

"I really do not want to leave him," Ziva said. "I would like to stay with him a little longer." Jenny nodded and pulled up a chair next to Ziva.

Gibbs was sitting on his couch with Grace in his lap reading her a story when he heard his front door open. He glanced up from the book and saw Tim and Abby. As he kept reading they removed their shoes and jackets and joined them on the couch. Tim sat in the corner opposite Gibbs and Abby cuddled up right next to Gibbs. Gibbs wrapped his arm around her and held her close as he continued the story.

When he was done with the book Grace was still fighting sleep. She was trying her best to keep her eyes open but was slowly losing the battle.

"Are you guys ok?" Gibbs asked. He momentarily took his hand off Abby's shoulder and squeezed Tim's shoulder.

"No," Abby cried as the tears finally flooded her face. "I'm sorry Gibbs." As emotional as she was she didn't usually cry in front of people but the stress of the day had built up so much it was unpreventable.

"Shh," Gibbs shushed her as he pulled her even closer to him. "It's ok," he whispered into her hair. He kissed the top of her head a couple times before looking over at Tim who was sitting perfectly still staring off into space. Tim was a master at hiding his emotions but Gibbs could see right through him. He knew how badly Tim was hurting, he could see the fear Tim felt.

Tim reached over and rested his hand on Abby's leg while she cried. They were all touching, they were all connected. Tim and Abby had showed up at Gibbs' house for reassurance. Neither wanted to be alone. It was almost like a child returning home after a tragedy. Gibbs' house was a house of love. Despite its modest appearance it was a house of comfort and peace, a refuge from all the troubles of the world.

"I'm going to put Gracie to bed," Gibbs said quietly after Abby had calmed down. "I'll be right back."

Abby scooted closer to Tim and hugged his arm while Gibbs took Grace upstairs. Before returning to the living room Gibbs made Tim and Abby each a cup of hot chocolate and heated up a cup of coffee for himself.

"Do you believe the doctor?" Abby asked as she took a mug of cocoa from Gibbs. "Is Tony really going to be ok?"

Gibbs handed the second cup to Tim before sitting down beside Abby. "Tony's going to be fine Abs," he said confidently.

"Did you see him Gibbs? He didn't look fine," Abby said her voice anxious. "He was so pale and his skin was so cold. He didn't even look that bad when he had the plague."

"Abby, Tony is going to be just fine. I promise," Gibbs said. "He'd just gotten out of surgery when you saw him, and he'd lost a lot of blood. He'll look better tomorrow."

"Boss, do you think Tony will still work for NCIS?" Tim asked.

"Oh yah," Gibbs answered. "He'll need some time off to recover but he'll be back."

"This all seems so unreal," Abby said. "Maybe it's just a bad dream and we'll all wake up tomorrow?" She looked over at Gibbs hoping he would agree with her.

Gibbs gave Abby a reassuring smile. "Why don't you try to get some rest Abs," he said. "You can sleep with Gracie if you'd like."

Abby took a deep breath. "She won't mind?"

Gibbs shook his head. "Uh-uh, but she'll probably try to cuddle with you." Abby put her mug on the cocoa table, gave Tim and Gibbs a hug, let Gibbs kiss her forehead then went upstairs to Grace's room.

"What about you?" Gibbs asked Tim. "You want the air mattress, over in the corner where you like it?"

Tim nodded his head at Gibbs but didn't say anything. Gibbs stood and patted the side of Tim's leg before retrieving the air mattress he kept in the coat closet. He made up the bed for Tim then tossed him his favorite blanket.

"Thanks Boss," Tim said.

Gibbs smiled at him. "Get some sleep Tim."

_Author's Note: I am not a doctor but I did a little research and did the best I could with all the medical stuff. So, if there are any doctors reading this, you're probably laughing [or maybe crying!] but hopefully it doesn't take away from the story too much! =)_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Gibbs sat in the dark, quiet living room listening to the sound of Tim breathing. He'd laid awake in bed for what seemed like forever before giving up on sleep and going downstairs. He wasn't even in the mood to work on his boat. The moonlight shining in the window illuminated the recliner Tony had slept in the night before. Gibbs remembered the photographs Jenny had snapped of him and Grace sleeping and smiled.

Gibbs was lost in thought when he heard the front door open. "Ziva," he said quietly, fairly confident he knew who it was.

Ziva looked in the living room and could see the outline of Gibbs' figure on the couch. "You are up," she whispered.

"Couldn't sleep," Gibbs admitted.

"McGee and Abby?" Ziva asked.

"Tim's over there, sleeping in his favorite corner and Abby's upstairs sharing a bed with Gracie."

Ziva carefully navigated the dark room to the couch next to Gibbs. "I did not want to be alone tonight."

"I know," Gibbs said. "Have a seat." He patted the cushion next to him and Ziva sank down into the couch.

"How's Tony doing?" Gibbs asked, knowing Ziva had just come from the hospital.

"He is running a slight fever," Ziva said. "The doctors are giving him antibiotics to prevent infection."

"Has he been awake at all?" Gibbs asked.

Ziva thought back the brief conversation she'd had with Tony. She didn't exactly want to talk about it with Gibbs, or anyone else for that matter. She was already feeling vulnerable and close to the edge.

"Hey," Gibbs said, breaking her from her thoughts.

"He woke only for a minute," Ziva said, her voice wavering. "I told him this was all my fault, I told him I was sorry but he would not accept it. He just said 'rule 6' but it is different between friends, right?" Tears were streaming down Ziva's face by the time she was done speaking.

"Ziver, this isn't your fault," Gibbs said, "that could have happened to any one of us. You can't always predict these kinds of things."

"I wish it was me," Ziva said through her tears. "Why couldn't I have been the one to take the bullet?"

"Hey, hey," Gibbs said. He put his arm around Ziva and pulled her head to his chest. "Tony's going to be ok. Everything is going to be ok."

It wasn't long before Ziva's crying slowed. She started yawning through her remaining tears before finally giving up to pure exhaustion and falling asleep on Gibbs' chest. Not long after Ziva fell asleep, Gibbs followed suit and soon the entire house was sleeping, huddled under one roof, near the ones they loved, the ones who had come to be closer than family.

* * *

><p>Despite being up most of the night Gibbs rose with the sun the next morning. He stood from the couch, careful not to disturb Ziva who was still propped up against him. He laid her down on the couch before going to the kitchen. Tim was already awake trying to figure out how to use the percolator to make coffee. Gibbs smiled as he stood in the doorway and watched for a minute.<p>

"Let me show you," Gibbs said. He set up the percolator and plugged it in. "I'm going to head up to the hospital and relieve Jenny. Do you think you guys can handle Gracie or should I take her with me?"

"We can watch her Boss," Tim said tiredly. "We'll be fine."

"I want you and Abby at NCIS today. Ducky was going to work through the night so he should be finished with the autopsy which means Abby will have some tests to run. As long as we can confirm Cayden has been off his meds and that's what caused both shootings we can close the case."

"Do you want us to take Gracie with us?" Tim asked.

"If you don't mind," Gibbs said. Tim nodded his head as he got two coffee cups out of the cabinet. "Did you guys bring the sedan?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes, we came straight here from the hospital last night."

"I'm going to trade you cars," Gibbs said as he dug his keys out of his pocket, "that way you'll have Gracie's booster seat."

"Ok," McGee said. Gibbs could see how tired Tim was. He could hear the anxiety in his voice. Out of everyone on his team Tim worried Gibbs the most. He had a tendency to keep everything bottled up inside and Gibbs knew from personal experience how unhealthy that could be.

"You ok McGee?" Gibbs asked looking directly at him.

"Yah Boss," Tim sighed. "I'm fine." He always appreciated the softer side of Gibbs that came out when one of them was injured. Tony was constantly saying he wasn't Gibbs if he was nice but Tim didn't agree. He needed the nicer Gibbs sometimes and this was definitely one of those times.

"I want you to stay close to Abby today, make sure she's ok," Gibbs instructed.

"I will," Tim assured him.

Gibbs poured a cup of freshly brewed coffee, patted Tim on the back and headed for the hospital. When he arrived in Tony's room he found Jenny sleeping in the chair next to his bed. He stood behind her and gently massaged her shoulders to wake her.

"Jethro," Jenny said wearily.

Gibbs leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "How'd it go last night?" he asked.

"They finally got his fever to stay down," Jenny said. "He's been in and out of consciousness but hasn't said much except that he's really thirsty which the doctor assured me is normal. I've been feeding him some ice chips," Jenny pointed at the cup on the TV tray.

"How are you doing?" Gibbs asked, still rubbing her shoulders. "Did you get any sleep?"

"Yah," Jenny said, "I'm ok. I managed to get some sleep."

"Ok," Gibbs said. "I'll take over now."

"Are you sure?" Jenny asked. "Do you want me to stay?"

Gibbs helped Jenny up out of the chair. "Why don't you go by the house and check on Gracie and make sure Abby, Ziva and Tim are doing ok."

Jenny wrapped her arms around Gibbs, needing to be close to him, needing that unspoken reassurance that everything was in fact going to be ok. "Try to get some rest," Gibbs said as he squeezed Jenny tight. "Tim and Abby are going to take Gracie with them, you need to sleep." Jenny decided against arguing with Gibbs, knowing it would be futile. He gave her a quick peck on the lips and watched as she disappeared down the hall.

He sat down in the chair Jenny had been camped out in all night and waited for Tony to wake up. A steady stream of nurses came through to take Tony's vitals and check on his condition. Finally, shortly before 9:00 Tony started to stir.

"What happened?" Tony asked weakly.

"You got shot DiNozzo," Gibbs said.

"Ziva?" Tony's voice was raspy and Gibbs could tell he was having trouble speaking.

"Ziva's fine," Gibbs said. "Doctor said she saved your life."

Tony took as deep of a breath as he could manage. "I'm thirsty."

Gibbs took a piece of ice from the cup and put it in Tony's mouth. When Tony quickly swallowed it Gibbs gave him another piece. He rested his hand on Tony's forehead to make sure the fever hadn't returned.

"Any chance," Tony paused to take a breath, "you can get me a pizza Boss?"

Gibbs smiled. For the first time since the accident he felt completely confident that Tony was going to be ok. "When you're up to it."

Tony coughed weakly a couple times. Gibbs watched as he winced in pain. He elevated the head of Tony's bed hoping that would help some.

"What's the damage?" Tony asked.

"Bullet hit your liver," Gibbs said. "You lost a lot of blood. Doc had to take a piece of it to control the bleeding but he says it'll grow back. You'll be good as new in no time." Gibbs slipped another piece of ice into Tony's mouth.

* * *

><p>When Jenny arrived at Gibbs' house she found everyone already awake. She'd selfishly hoped they would still be asleep so she could slip into bed and get some much needed rest. She had managed to get a couple hours in the hospital but it wasn't very restful with all of Tony's moans of pain and the nurses checking in on him.<p>

"How is everyone this morning?" Jenny asked as she walked into the kitchen. Ziva, Tim and Abby were sitting at the table like zombies watching Grace eat a bowl of cereal.

"How is he?" Ziva asked, perking up a bit.

"He's hanging in there," Jenny said. "They finally got his fever to stay down."

"I think I am going to head over there," Ziva said. The group nodded at her and she stood from the table and quickly left.

"Are you two heading over to NCIS this morning?" Jenny asked taking Ziva's place at the table.

"Yah," Tim answered. "Boss wants us to get over there and run the samples Ducky got from the autopsy," he told Abby. "If we confirm this kid was off his meds we can go ahead and close the case. Grace can come with us."

"Do you have her booster seat?" Jenny asked.

Tim nodded his head. "Boss took the sedan and left us his car."

"Under any other circumstances getting to drive Gibbs' car would be a rare treat," Abby said flatly, "but right now it doesn't seem all that special." Tim and Jenny smiled at a very visibly depressed Abby.

"What about you Sweetie?" Jenny asked going over to Grace who'd just finished her breakfast.

"Did Tony died?" Grace asked cautiously.

"No Honey," Jenny quickly answered. "Remember last night Daddy told you Tony was sick? He's feeling a little bit better today. You might even get to see him later but first you're going to go to NCIS with Tim and Abby." Jenny wet a cloth in the sink and washed Grace's face and hands.

"I need you to babysit Bert again today," Abby said perking up a little for Grace's sake. "Can you help me with that?"

"And then we will see Daddy and Tony?" Grace asked. Abby smiled and nodded at Grace.

* * *

><p>By the time Tim and Abby made it to the hospital with Grace and Jenny returned from a morning of much needed rest Tony had regained some of his strength. The doctor agreed to release him within the next couple days as long as his fever didn't return and he had someone to stay with him. Gibbs told the doctor Tony would be staying at his house.<p>

With Tony feeling better Gibbs decided it would be ok for Grace to go in and visit with him. The last time she was at the hospital with her mom, her mom didn't get to leave. Gibbs wanted Grace to be able to see that Tony was ok and Tony begged to see her. When Tim and Abby brought her in Tony was attempting to choke down some Jell-O the nurse had brought him.

"I mean seriously! How do you screw up Jell-O?" Tony demanded weakly as Tim and Abby walked in with a frightened Grace. Grace hurried over to Gibbs and hid shyly behind his leg, peeking out at Tony.

"It's ok Sweet Pea," Gibbs said gently. He lifted her up and kissed her cheek. "See, Tony's right there. He's going to be just fine."

"Hi Gracie," Tony said, smiling at her. "Do you want to come sit down with me?" he asked.

Grace put her fingers in her mouth and nodded her head.

"I'm going to show you something Gracie," Gibbs said. He pulled her fingers out of her mouth, trying to get her to break the habit. "Remember I told you Tony was sick?" Gibbs lifted the blanket away from Tony's chest revealing the white bandage. "Tony got a boo-boo on his tummy so you have to be really careful, ok?"

Grace inspected the dressing covering the right side of Tony's chest. After Gibbs was sure Grace felt comfortable he set her on the left side of Tony's bed.

"Well hey there Little Lady," Tony said doing his best John Wayne impression.

Grace visibly relaxed once she figured out that despite his injury Tony was ok. "Is that your snack?" she asked pointing at the Jell-O.

Tony wrinkled his nose at the less than satisfactory food he had been provided. "It's kind of yucky. Do you want some?"

Grace opened her mouth and let Tony feed her a bite then immediately turned and spit it out all over the floor. She automatically turned to Gibbs with a horrified look on her face. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry Daddy! I didn't mean to!"

Gibbs lifted her up before she started crying and smiled warmly at her. "It's ok Cutie," he reassured her. He had done his best to cover her with hugs and kisses and any form of affection he could but he knew she still remembered the abuse, especially when she thought she made a mistake. Gibbs took the paper towels Tim had retrieved and cleaned up the floor. "See! It's all gone," he said happily. Grace took a deep breath and relaxed in Gibbs arms once she was sure no one was going to punish her for her crime.

"Will you come back and sit with me Gracie?" Tony mock pouted. "I promise I won't make you eat anymore of this yucky stuff."

Gibbs kissed Grace's temple and sat her back in the bed next to Tony.

"How did you get a boo-boo?" Grace asked.

Tony looked up at Gibbs, unsure of how to explain the shooting to a four year old. "I was chasing a bad guy," he said, proud of the vague answer he'd quickly come up with.

"Did the bad guy get away?" Grace asked, now interested in the story Tony had started.

"Nope," Tony said. "Ziva was with me and after the bad guy hurt me Ziva got him so he can't hurt anybody else."

"How are you feeling Tony?" Abby asked.

Tony smiled at her. "I'm ok Abs, really," he assured her. "It only hurts a little and you know, only when I breathe," he joked.

Abby smiled at his attempt to cheer her up. She couldn't stand it when someone from her family was hurting. She hated the feeling of helplessness. "I'm so glad you're ok." She gave him a hug as best as she could despite his injury and all the monitors hooked up to him.

"You're not going to get rid of me that easily Abs," Tony said. "What about you McGoo, how are you holding up?"

"Better, now that you're doing better," McGee hesitated a bit in his response but answered honestly. "I thought we'd lost you there for minute and things just wouldn't have been the same."

"You never did handle change well," Tony pointed out. "But you can call me the man of steel! It takes more than a hail of gunfire to stop me!"

The room laughed at Tony antics. Everyone could tell he was still weak but he was already acting like the old Tony they all knew and loved.

"What'd you two find out?" Gibbs asked Tim and Abby.

"Cayden has been off his meds for the last six days Gibbs," Abby said.

"It's likely he was in a severely paranoid state when he opened fire on Tony and Ziva and even his dad and his dad's special friend," Tim said.

Gibbs glanced at his watch and saw it was starting to get late. "Are you guys about ready to go?" he asked Jenny and Grace. Jenny hugged Gibbs' arm, still tired from the ordeal despite her midmorning nap.

"No," Grace whined. "I want to have a sleepover with Tony. Please Daddy."

"You don't want to sleep over here Gracie," Tony said. "At night they come in and wake you up and poke you with things and take your blood and give you shots…"

"Tony!" Gibbs cut him off.

"Sorry Boss," Tony said. "I think we're going to have a sleep over at your house when I get out of the hospital," he told Grace.

"Ziva, are you going to be ok here tonight?" Gibbs asked.

"I will be just fine," Ziva assured him.

"Tim, Abs, what about you guys?"

The two looked at each other as if they could read each other's minds. "I think we'll hang around here a little while longer," Abby said, "and is it ok if we stay with you again tonight?"

Gibbs nodded and gave them both a warm smile. He bent down and kissed Abby's head then patted Tim and Ziva on the shoulder.

"See you tomorrow Tony," Gibbs said. He gently patted Tony's head, the safest part of his body to touch with everything hooked up to him. He gathered Grace up off the bed, offered his arm to Jenny and headed for the door.

Grace waved goodbye over Gibbs' shoulder. "Don't die Tony," she said as they walked out of the room.

When they got home they put a movie in for Grace to watch while Jenny headed upstairs to take a shower and Gibbs disappeared down to the basement. He was just getting ready to work on his boat when he heard Grace let out a bloodcurdling scream. He raced up the stairs and saw Grace standing in front of the front door staring at an intruder.

"Geez Mike! Did you have to scare her?" he asked as he picked her up.

"I wasn't trying to scare her!" Mike shot back. "I didn't even know you had a kid." They all turned to see Jenny coming down the stairs. "Boy you two work fast!"

"Stop it Mike," Gibbs said. "This is my niece."

"This is Linda's kid?" Mike asked. "Boy she's a looker."

"Gracie, this is Mike, but you can call him Grandpa," Gibbs said making a crack about his former boss' age. "Why don't you go finish your movie?"

"But Daddy I wanted a juice," Grace said.

"Come here Sweetheart," Jenny said, taking Grace from Gibbs, "I'll get you something to drink."

After they'd gone to the kitchen Gibbs took Mike down to the basement. "I thought Linda wasn't speaking to you," Mike said.

"Linda's dead," Gibbs said.

"Her husband kill her?" Mike asked.

"More or less," Gibbs said. "He was driving drunk, wrapped his car around a tree, Gracie was the only one who was buckled."

"Well I hate to say it but that might have been the best thing to ever happen to that little girl."

"What're you doing in the city Mike?"

"I heard DiNozzo's been shot."

"Abby?" Gibbs asked.

"Called me this morning," Mike answered.

"It was a little iffy for awhile but he's going to be fine," Gibbs said.

* * *

><p>Ziva was relieved once Tim and Abby finally left. She had been at the hospital with Tony all day but hadn't been alone with him. She was glad she finally had an opportunity to talk to him privately.<p>

"Tony, I… I do not even know what to say," Ziva started. "I cannot help but feel like this is all my fault and I know, I know, I know you have told me it is not and Gibbs keeps telling me it is not but that is just the way I feel and I need to know if you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

"Forgive you for what?" Tony asked sincerely. He had watched Gibbs guide conversations allowing the other person to realize they'd done nothing wrong and was hoping he could get the same result with Ziva.

"For letting you get shot, for not having your back," Ziva paused and looked into Tony's eyes. "For teasing you about a girl when we should have been focusing on the task in our hand."

"Task at hand," Tony corrected her with a smile.

"Can you ever forgive me?" Ziva asked desperately.

"Hey," Tony said, afraid she was going to cry. He held out his hand towards her and was happy when she placed her hand in his. He ran his thumb lightly over her knuckles. "I really don't think there is anything to forgive you for, this wasn't your fault but yes Ziva, I will forgive you. I do forgive you, ok?" Tony looked at her trying to catch her eye.

Ziva held Tony's hand with both of her hands. He'd remained stubborn in not admitting it was her fault which she had expected but he had forgiven her and that was what Ziva desperately needed. She took a deep breath before making eye contact with him. "Thank you Tony," she said as she felt a weight being lifted from her. She brought his hand to her lips and placed a gentle kiss on it.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Hey guys," Tony said when Mike and Grace entered his hospital room.

"You ready to go DiNozzo?" Mike asked.

Tony laughed. "I was ready four days ago!" He carefully stood from the bed with Mike's help. "Where's Boss Man?"

"Going over discharge orders with your doctor," Mike said.

"And how is Grace doing today?" Tony asked. "Are you having fun with Uncle Mike?"

"That's not Uncle Mike." Grace said. "That's Grandpa!"

Mike smiled at the toddler. "And I will make sure to get Probie back for that one of these days."

"Come on now Mike," Tony said, "you couldn't ask for a better grandkid!"

"You're right about that DiNozzo." Mike picked Grace up and blew kisses on her belly making her squirm and laugh.

"What are you doing to her?" Gibbs asked as he entered with a wheelchair.

"Oh Boss, no," Tony said, "I can walk, I swear."

Gibbs smiled at Tony. "Sit," he instructed.

Tony knew he wasn't going to win the argument so he decided against protesting and eased himself into the wheelchair.

"Can I push him Daddy?" Grace asked hopefully.

"Sure!" Mike answere. "Probie and I will go pull the car around!"

"Boss?" Tony said.

Gibbs smirked at Mike as Tony began to panic. "How about you help me push," he suggested. Grace was satisfied with the compromise and they pushed Tony down to the front door together while Mike pulled the car around. By the time they made it home Tony was already tired and barely made it to the couch before he was ready to sleep. Mike took Grace out for the day to entertain her so Tony could rest peacefully.

"Where we going Grandpa?" Grace asked as she looked out the car window.

"I'm taking you someplace real special Munchkin!" Mike said. "You like animals?"

"We're going to get a pet?" Grace asked.

"Now that's a good idea!" Mike said. "Probie would kill me but it would get him back for that Grandpa crack." Mike contemplated the idea for a minute. "Nah, no pet. How would you like to go to the zoo instead?"

"Where all the big animals live?" Grace asked.

Mike glanced in the rear view mirror and saw her eyes light up. "That's right!" he said as he parked the car.

The two spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon wandering around the National Zoo. By the time they got home Jenny, Tim, Ziva, Abby, Ducky, and Jimmy had arrived from NCIS with pizzas for dinner.

"Hi Sweet Pea," Gibbs said. "Where've you been all day?"

"Grandpa taked me to the zoo," Grace said. Gibbs set his pizza aside and pulled Grace into his lap. "We got to feed some fishies and I saw a goat just like Herman!"

"Sounds like you've had a busy day," Gibbs said.

"Here you go Sweetie," Mike said handing Grace a cup of water.

"You couldn't put that in a sippy cup?" Gibbs asked.

"Relax Probie, she's not going to spill," Mike said.

"If I get a lap full of ice water you're in trouble Mike!"

When everyone was done eating Ducky insisted on checking Tony out to make sure he doing was ok. Everyone except Jenny left early knowing Tony was still weak and Grace would be tired from her long day at the zoo.

* * *

><p>The next day Gibbs dropped Mike off at the airport so he could catch his flight back to Mexico before he headed to NCIS. He left Tony home alone so he could rest with the promise of checking in on him throughout the day. Not long after Gibbs arrived at work Jenny called him up to her office.<p>

"We just saw each other like an hour ago Jen. What's going on?" Gibbs asked.

"I just got word from NCIS Pearl," Jenny said. Gibbs sat down in the chair in front of her desk and got comfortable. "The FBI and Army CID tracked down their serial killer and have him in custody. Lt. Colonel Mann is recovering nicely. She's scheduled to be released from the hospital tomorrow."

"That's great," Gibbs said. "I'm glad everything worked out."

* * *

><p>While Gibbs was in talking to the director Tim and Ziva were left in charge of Grace. Grace wandered over to Tim's desk and started opening his desk drawers.<p>

"Hey," Tim objected, "what do you think you're doing?" Grace shrugged her shoulders and innocently looked up at Tim. "You know what?" Tim said. "Tony has all kinds of fun things in his top desk drawer. Why don't you go check it out!" Grace smiled at Tim before going over to Tony's desk.

"Ew!" Grace said. Tim and Ziva looked over to see her wearing a pair of goofy glasses and holding a balled up pair of gym socks.

"Oh Grace put those down!" Ziva said. "Who knows how long they have been in there!" Grace threw the socks on the ground and continued exploring the contents of Tony's desk drawer.

"You know Mcgee, maybe it was not such a good idea to let her go through Tony's things," Ziva said.

"Why not?" Tim asked. "Tony's always in my stuff."

"I know," Ziva said, "but you never know what exactly Tony has over there."

"Oh!" Tim said. He hadn't thought about Tony's girly magazines or any other items that might not be kid appropriate. "You uh, you want to watch a movie Grace? I have _101 Dalmatians_."

"Ok!" Grace said happily. She closed Tony's desk drawer catching her finger in it and screamed.

"Oh no!" Tim said as he and Ziva raced over. Tim quickly freed her finger and picked her up but her crying didn't ease. He took her up to the director's office.

"What happened?" Gibbs asked as he took Grace from Tim.

"Pinched her finger in a desk drawer," Tim quickly explained, "sorry Boss!"

"Let's go see Dr. Ducky," Gibbs said calmly after looking at her finger. He hoped a band-aid would calm Grace down.

Grace continued to cry while Ducky looked at her finger and cleaned the small amount of blood off. After he put a band-aid on the injury she started to calm down.

"It's amazing the affect a band-aid can have," Ducky said. "If only more of the world's problems had such simple solutions."

"Thanks Duck," Gibbs said. "Is that better?" he asked Grace wiping a few leftover tears from her cheeks.

"It still hurts," Grace whined.

"Well that's because we're not through making you all better," Ducky said. "We have to do one more thing and you'll be good as new."

"Will it hurt?" Grace asked.

"Not at all!" Ducky promised. "Go right over there and see Mr. Palmer and he's going to get you a lollipop for being such a good patient and when you're done with that you're finger won't hurt anymore!"

* * *

><p>That night while Jenny bathed Grace and put her to bed Gibbs sat down to have a talk with his senior field agent.<p>

"How're you feeling DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.

"Feeling good Boss," he said, "getting stronger every day."

"And the shooting?"

Tony shrugged. "It is what it is," he said remembering when Ziva had said that to him during a previous case. "It's not the first time I've faced death, doubt it'll be the last, though I've got to tell you Boss, I'm starting to feel like a cat with nine lives and I'm not sure how many I have left."

Gibbs smirked and nodded. "You're a bit more stoic than you were when we were on the Chimera and you thought you had hemorrhagic fever."

"Boss, the fever is like death is coming and even though you know you're going to die you can't do anything about it. Your life is over and you have to suffer through every last painful minute of it! There's nothing you can do but wait! Your life flashes before your eyes! You can't anticipate being shot, it just happens."

"Very dramatic DiNozzo," Gibbs said.

"Jethro," Jenny interrupted, "Grace is waiting for her Daddy to give her a good night kiss and read her a bedtime story."

"On my way," Gibbs said as he stood. He turned back to Tony, "Glad you're feeling better."

Tony smiled from ear to ear as he reached for the remote and turned the TV on.

* * *

><p>Tony spent the next two weeks with Gibbs, Jenny and Grace. Ducky came by often to check on his progress and make sure he was healing properly. Palmer snuck over during the day when Tony was alone as long as he wasn't too busy in autopsy. The team came and went as if they lived there, sometimes spending the night sometimes just stopping by for a short visit.<p>

During his stay Grace came to think of Tony as her big brother. She loved cuddling up on the couch with him and watching TV while laughing at the different accents and impressions he did. Tony was thrilled to have an audience that enjoyed his vast movie knowledge. As he got stronger Tony started taking Grace out on short walks, first up the street, then around the block. When it came time for Tony to return to his own apartment Grace had a hard time understanding why he had to leave.

After Tony had been cleared to go home Gibbs' house calmed down quite a bit. A lot of the excitement followed Tony home with the team members constantly dropping in on him to ask if he needed anything, bring him pizzas and movies or just sit with him so he wasn't alone. Gibbs, Jenny and Grace settled into a quieter, slower lifestyle.

With Jenny's help Gibbs got Grace enrolled into a preschool program and helped her settle into a normal daily routine. He was surprised at how difficult it was to leave her at school each morning. He remembered watching Kelly in the rear view mirror of his truck as he drove off and then never seeing her again. The thought of leaving Grace and never seeing her again made Gibbs reluctant to drop her off anywhere but Jenny assured him a morning away at preschool would help prepare her for kindergarten and that being around other children her age would be good for her.

* * *

><p>As the days turned into weeks Ziva and Tim realized that as much as Tony could sometimes get on their nerves they still missed him terribly when he wasn't around. His ability to bring levity to the most gruesome of scenes helped keep everyone sane as they faced the horrors of what human beings were capable of. Though both agreed never to admit anything to Tony they often found themselves remembering some of the stunts he'd pulled and talking about how much they missed him.<p>

Seven weeks after the shooting Tony showed up at Gibbs house shortly after dinner.

"Tony!" Grace couldn't contain her excitement when he walked through the door. She raced over to him and begged to be picked up.

"Hey there Baby Girl!" Tony smiled and carefully lifted her into his arms. He took a seat in the recliner and propped her on his leg. "Boss, Director," he greeted.

"What's up DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked. "How'd your appointment go today?"

"It went really good," Tony said. "That's actually what I came to talk to you about. He cleared me to go back to work."

"Can we have ice cream?" Grace asked, interrupting him.

Tony smiled at her and tapped her nose with his finger. "I'll tell you what, after I talk to Daddy for a minute, then we'll go get a really big bowl of ice cream for you and I to share! Ok?" Grace was satisfied with Tony's answer and sat quietly on his lap.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Gibbs asked his voice coated in fatherly concern.

Tony nodded his head adamantly. "I'm ready Boss! Everybody's been so great but I'm going crazy with nothing to do all day. Please Boss, you have to let me come back," he pleaded.

"If you're sure you're ready I don't see why that would be a problem," Jenny piped in.

Gibbs glared over at her, not impressed with her input. He liked to evaluate his own team, he knew their strengths and weaknesses, he pushed them to expand their boundaries and step outside of their comfort zones and he always had their back. He knew each of them better than anyone else.

"Don't look at me like that Jethro," Jenny warned, "the doctor cleared him and he says he's ready. If he wants to come back he can come back." Tony sat with Grace on his lap smirking at the argument between Gibbs and Jenny. It had been awhile since there had been any drama in his life and he always enjoyed watching their little 'lover's quarrels' as he called them.

Gibbs attempted to stare Jenny down but quickly realized she wasn't going to back away from this argument. "I like to manage my own team Jen," he said.

"I know you do," Jenny told him.

Gibbs glared at Jenny a moment longer before turning his attention to Tony. "Tomorrow's Saturday, we don't work this weekend, so first thing Monday morning?"

"Thank you Boss!" Tony said.

"Time for ice cream?" Grace asked, sensing the adult conversation was over.

"Sounds good to me!" Tony said as he put Grace on the floor in front of him and stood.

"We don't have any ice cream," Gibbs said.

"Why don't you ever buy ice cream?" Jenny scolded him. "You know Grace loves the stuff!"

"I don't know!" Gibbs said glaring at Jenny again.

"I can go get some," Tony offered.

"Me too! Me too!" Grace said jumping up and down in front of Tony.

Gibbs stood and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. He flipped it open, pulled a ten dollar bill out and handed it to Tony.

"Do you care if Grace comes along?" Tony asked.

Gibbs knelt in front of Grace who was bouncing around excitedly. "Are you going to be a good girl for Tony?" She nodded her head enthusiastically, smiling from ear to ear. "Come give me a hug."

Grace wrapped her arms around Gibbs' neck and squeezed. "Thank you Daddy! I promise I will be berry good."

"You've got to keep Tony out of trouble too!" Gibbs teased. Grace smiled up at him unsure of how to respond. Gibbs handed Tony his car keys and the two were off.

"You've always got to play boss, don't you?" Jenny said after Tony and Grace left.

"I am the boss," Gibbs said as he sat down next to her on the couch.

"_I _am the boss," Jenny corrected. Gibbs smirked and pulled Jenny into his lap. He left a trail of soft kisses down the side of her neck. Jenny reluctantly relaxed against Gibbs chest as he kissed her cheek and then her ear. She trailed her hand from Gibbs' knee up the inside of his thigh. Gibbs caught her hand before she went up to high and held it in place against his leg.

"Later," he groaned, "the kids will be home soon." Jenny turned and pressed her lips to his, letting him deepen the kiss and rewarding him with a soft moan of satisfaction. When they broke for air she rested her head against him. He gently ran his fingers through her hair as she listened to the soothing sound of his heart beating.

When Gibbs suspected Tony and Grace were almost home he moved Jenny off of him and stood. Jenny gave him a disapproving moan. She was enjoying his closeness and comfort.

"Gracie already tells everybody we kiss on the lips," Gibbs said, "we don't need her telling them what else we do." He winked at her before disappearing into the kitchen to get some bowls out for the ice cream.

"Boss!" Tony called as he entered the house. "Boss, you aren't going to believe it! Grace is a total chick magnet! I had girls stopping me left and right."

Gibbs took the ice cream from Tony and rolled his eyes. "Is your dry spell over?"

"Yah Boss! I think it is!"

"You will not use my daughter to pick up girls," Gibbs said.

"Of course not Boss!" Tony said, silently scolding himself.

Gibbs handed Jenny the ice cream. "Here you go… Boss," he teased. "You can be in charge of the ice cream."

Jenny squinted her eyes at Gibbs and playfully smacked his chest before snatching the ice cream out of his hands. "You never scoop it right anyways," she said.

"What?" Gibbs asked. "Since when is there a wrong way to scoop ice cream?"

"You always scoop it with a spoon!" Jenny said. "Who does that? They invented ice cream scoops for a reason Jethro!"

Tony laughed. "You two fight like a married couple." Gibbs and Jenny both turned and glared at him. "Uh... er... I'll take a little bit of chocolate syrup on my ice cream," Tony said trying to change the subject, "just a tad."

* * *

><p>As Gibbs lay awake in bed late that night he reflected on the past couple months. He remembered the phone call from Texas informing him of his sister's death and the wave of panic that washed over him when he learned he would be Grace's primary caregiver. It had been a long time since he'd cared for a child, and he always had Shannon by his side to help him.<p>

He thought about the phone call from Ziva telling him Tony had been shot and she didn't know if he was alive. Risking your life was part of the job and all his agents knew that but he couldn't imagine losing one of his team. He'd invested a lot in them both professionally and personally and he loved each of them as if they were his own children.

After Shannon and Kelly died he knew he would never have a happily ever after story book type ending but he was determined to make the best of what he had and be content no matter what life threw at him. That was always challenged when he stared death in the face or when dramatic changes were taking place all around him. That was when he started second guessing himself.

Jenny shifted on his chest bringing her hand up to rest on his shoulder. Gibbs rubbed her back gently and thought about the past several weeks with her. She hadn't officially moved in with him but she spent each night beside him in bed. Grace didn't call her mommy but Jenny had basically assumed that role in her life. Gibbs wasn't good at discussing the details of his personal life and Jenny knew that. They had both just let things happen over the past weeks. There was no need for verbal communication between them. They understood each other. They knew what the other one needed. It was their unspoken language but lately with all the loss that surrounded Gibbs, as well as the close calls there was something he needed to say. He didn't want to wait until it was too late, until he never had another chance. Now was the time.

"I love you Jen," he whispered as he gently rubbed her back. He felt her smile against his bare chest.

"I love you Jethro," she replied. Despite the sleep in her voice Gibbs knew she was fully aware of what she was saying. He kissed the top of her head and she moaned softly and cuddled into his chest more.

Gibbs heard the bedroom door creak open. He glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. Grace was right on time. He lifted the covers so she could crawl under. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him while holding Jenny close with the other arm. Gibbs smiled as he closed his eyes. Maybe he was going to get his happily ever after, after all.

**The End**

_Author's Note: That's it. I hope you guys enjoyed it. I have about nine other stories in various stages of completion so I'm anxious to dedicate some time to those. Thank you to all who've taken the time to read and leave reviews! The reviews totally make my day and encourage me to keep going. You guys are the best!_


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